Reunion
by Hybrid Wayward Dragon
Summary: This is a fix it for 5.06 since I was so incredibly disappointed in that episode. This is how it would have gone down had the writers remembered these characters at their disposal are actually badasses and not that easy to take down. Also, this is super Klayley focused. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! I'm back with a one shot after forever, I know! But honestly, let's just be clear, this season is a Hot Mess and the only redeemable factor so far has been the Klayley and 5.08. So this is a fix it for 5.06 because yo! These badasses would not have gone down the way they did in that episode, no way. Hayley deserved better and after everything, I just need some success and happiness. Also, Klayley is a power couple who are perfect for each other. Everyone else can go home. So, this is my little attempt at a fixing this hot mess and I hope y'all like it. If you do, let me know in a review and, if enough of you like it, I might even continue it. Read, review and enjoy guys!**

* * *

Since the moment Klaus had stepped into New Orleans with the purpose of returning Hayley to their daughter, a pit had lodged itself in his chest, dark and heavy, growing more so with every passing day. It was a slow burning rage, the kind that had him strategizing, that let him rip open throats and smile as he was called a psychopath. When Caroline told him Hope had disappeared with some boy and when he found out just _who_ that boy was, that anger infected every part of his being, spurring him on in his search for the two most important women in his life. He had failed them both, so many countless times, especially over the past seven years, he refused to fail either again. Not this time, not like this.

Klaus had already seen Hayley be slaughtered once - on the day of Hope's birth, fifteen years ago. And during his lowest points, he couldn't help but replay that moment in his head, over and over again - the pure elation he felt at his daughter's birth and the sheer horror that followed at seeing a knife dragged through Hayley's soft skin, being utterly powerless to stop it. And perhaps that was the biggest insult of all, even more so than the helplessness upon upon him. How Hayley had been marked as expendable in the numerous quests to destroy his family.

 _Expendable_ , when she was anything but. _Expendable_ , even though she never stopped fighting for them, when she was the only one holding them together. There were few Klaus respected as much as he did the mother of his child, no other whom he regarded as his equal - none, but her. And he refused to lose either Hope or Hayley to fascists of an era that should have long been left behind them. Ever since Hayley's life had been entangled with his fifteen years ago, they'd survived so much, it was impossible to even consider the possibility that _this_ would be how he and Hope could lose her.

Reaching the wreck of a house that Freya had directed him and Caroline to, a single minded determination to rip into anyone who had touched his family filled him and he moved toward the decrepit building without as much as a backward glance towards the blonde vampire to see if she had followed. She might not have been whom he had hoped to have by his side, but by this point, Klaus was beyond caring. He had almost reached the building when he was stooped by _Elijah_ of all people. Was stopped by _Elijah_ snapping Caroline's neck and claiming those beasts inside as his family.

Now, Klaus could understand a lot. He had committed atrocities, destroyed dynasties upon a whim, slaughtered his way through a millennium of existence. He was _soaked_ in the blood of the lives he had taken, dripping with it even. But never, not even in his worst moments, had he ever sided with bloody _nazis_ \- sided with those who considered anything apart from them aberrations. And he felt a rage rise up within him, white hot fury creeping up against his spine as he looked at the man that wore his brother's face. It was a rage that had been building ever since Hayley had gone missing and now, to be so close but held back by _Elijah_? Klaus didn't hesitate in attacking, cutting him off mid speech. He sent his brother flying across the ground, undeterred by the dull snap of bones upon impact as he turned and continued to the house. If he still cared for words, he'd be back in New Orleans working with Vincent.

He left Elijah lying in the dirt behind him and threw open the door to the sight of Greta with her hand buried deep inside Hayley's chest. Both women turned to look at him, Hayley gasping his name, a sliver of relief filling her eyes. But then the vampire was _twisting_ and the hybrid's pain filled gasps filled the room, burst of pure agony filling her chest. Klaus stepped forward to rip the bint to pieces for daring to touch what was his when pain ripped through his torso, a makeshift stake puncturing his heart and emerging from his chest.

"Elijah?" Hayley gasped out, not understanding what the original was doing, her eyes following him as he made his way to the blond teenager, ignoring his own niece in the process. Her eyes widened as she tried to make sense of it all while Greta smirked and in that moment Klaus was transported to a different setting, a different time where he was on his knees and someone had their hand wrapped around Hayley's heart. Only this time he couldn't count on backup and while Lucien had been a worthless hound trying to rise above his station, he had still made for a more worthy opponent than the vampire standing in front of him.

And all that unadulterated rage hidden within him made its presence known again and Klaus found himself rising to his feet. He moved on pure instinct alone, eyes burning amber. One hand pierced the vampire's back, fingers curling around her heart and _yanking_. His other hand grabbed her wrist and wrenched it away from Hayley before dragging across Greta's throat, the monster buried inside him reveling in the violent spray of blood that followed. Pulling her husk away from Hayley, he cast her aside thoughtlessly, even as Elijah screamed in anguish, ignoring everything but the woman in front of him.

And those same bloodied hands that had committed countless atrocities and would willingly commit countless more for his family, were oh so gentle as the hybrid caught Hayley before she fell. Gentle, as he held her tight against him. He rested his forehead against hers, eyes sliding shut of their own accord, Hayley's hands coming up to grip his forearms. And for a moment, they simply stood there, breathing each other in, neither afraid to admit to the few stray tears that leaked from their eyes.

It was only when Elijah brokenly whispered a soft "what did you do," horror written all over his face, that Klaus remembered they were not alone and he broke away from Hayley with an exasperated sigh. Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, he turned to face the man he had once known to be his brother.

"I did exactly as I had to," he told the vampire. Holding Hayley in his embrace, knowing her to be safe had drained away most of his anger, but seeing Elijah display such emotion for a woman who had believed his _daughter_ , believed _Hayley_ to be a monstrosity because of what they were? It called up something very much akin to that anger.

It took less than a moment to brace Hayley against the wall behind her and then throw Elijah up against another, holding him there by his throat. "You may not be my brother," he snarled, all the resentment and contempt he felt for the man in front of him pouring out in his words and dripping from his voice. "But I'd have _hoped_ you had retained some degree of sense, Elijah. At least enough to know not to side with fascists." With those parting words, he snapped the original's neck, letting him crumple to the floor.

Klaus then turned to the younger vampire who was still on the floor, looking absolutely terrified. Good, he should be. "Remove those infernal chains from my daughter at once please," he instructed, lips lifted in a chilling smile that promised further violence, his voice light and lilting before turning hard as steel. "That is, if you don't wish for me to start removing important organs. I'm very good at it, you know," he told Roman almost conspiratorially, enjoying the vampire's palpable fear.

Unfortunately, after he removed the chains from around Hope's wrists, Klaus was reminded of Caroline still lying outside. Dammit. The blonde would throw a fit if he killed the boy, no matter what he had been complicit in. The fact that Hope still had to go back to school meant Klaus would have to reign himself in. So, cursing silently, he restricted himself to just snapping the boy's neck. Moving immediately to his daughter, he gathered her in his arms, speeding the fifteen year old to the car and placing her gently in the backseat.

Returning to Hayley's side, he prepared to help her outside too when she stopped him, smiling sorrowfully. "Klaus, I'm not a - they performed the binding spell on me. I'm a vampire now," she admitted. "And I don't have a daylight ring."

"What are you saying, Little Wolf?" Klaus asked, his eyes meeting hers, confused, unwilling to understand what she was saying.

"I'm saying that… I'm not really your Little Wolf anymore," she told him hesitantly. "And if I go out into the sunlight, I'll burn." The utter devastation on his face had Hayley choking back sobs as the weight of what she had lost finally hit her in its entirety.

"You will _always_ be my Little Wolf," he told her forcefully, raising his arms around her instinctively even as he processed her words. Hayley dropped her head onto his shoulder, sobs breaking free and wracking through her entire body as she grieved for the part of herself that had been taken from her. "We'll fix this, Hayley. I promise, I'll fix this." Klaus's voice was hoarse with emotion, cracking on the words that spilled from his lips, the beginnings of half a dozen plans already running through his mind.

"Thank you," the words slipping out between broken sobs. "Thank you for stopping Hope from doing this."

"Of course," Klaus told her, tears lining his own eyes. "I could never - I could never allow her to experience this. _Never_." They stayed there in silence for a few moments until Hayley pulled back, composing herself.

"You need to call someone, get Hope out of here to someplace she'll be safe," she told Klaus, the hybrid pulling out his phone before he remembered the blonde headmistress still lying outside.

"Caroline's outside," he mentioned to Hayley, casually throwing a glare towards his brother as he continued. "Her neck's been snapped, courtesy of Elijah, but I imagine she'll wake up soon enough. I can ask her to take Hope home - unless you'd rather she go back to school, that is?" It felt almost natural to slip into this role of co-parenting, taking the other's opinions into consideration before making a decision.

"New Orleans," Hayley breathed out. "Klaus, you're dumber than I thought if you think for _one second_ that I would let her go without-"

"New Orleans, it is," Klaus cut in gently, smirking. "I'll stay here with you until it's safe for you to leave." he caught her eye, nodding once, Hayley's lips quirking up in some semblance of a smile in spite of everything that had happened, leaning back against the wall. The hybrid smiled back, moving away to call Freya and fill her in on what had occurred as well as check on Caroline who was finally waking up. Within ten minutes the blonde was leaving with Hope and Roman and Klaus was sitting on the floor across from her, musing about options they could try to undo the binding placed upon her.

And somehow, sitting there, giggling at his more outlandish ideas, Hayley figured they might be ok.


	2. Chapter 2

**Heyyy, have I mentioned how awesome y'all are? Cos y'all are awesome! I mean, wow! That response to my lil fic born out of anger and spite for 5.06? Insane! I love y'all so much, you're amazing and you made my week!**

 **So I'm not sure how long this will end up being, but I do hope y'all will continue to enjoy it. For those you who are wondering, Klaus didn't kill Roman cos of the huge bitch fest Caroline would throw plus the fact that in the show the guy is MIA and is currently a fun character to play around with. For the record, guilt does make such a good motivator! ;)**

 **Anyway, read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

Hope regained consciousness slowly, taking a few minutes to shake off the last vestiges of the lingering exhaustion that still clung to her. It was almost peaceful in those few moments before everything rushed back and she sat up with a gasp, taking split second to assess her surroundings. She was home, in New Orleans, surrounded by familiar walls with her Aunt Freya sitting across from her.

The tribrid took a moment to try to understand what it meant that she was here and not at school, then turned to her aunt, eyes wide as an answer presented itself to her. "Where's my Mom? Is she ok? Where is she? Did Dad come in time?" She demanded, Freya getting up from her seat and moving toward her, smiling gently.

"Yeah," the witch replied softly. "He came in time. Hayley's fine, she's just resting."

Throwing the blankets covering her to the side, Hope made to get up. "Where is she? I want to see her." The demands were gentler now that she wasn't afraid for her mother's life but no less insistent. The teenager had been living in fear without her mother for long enough, she refused to do so for much longer.

"It's ok, baby, I'm right here." A new voice came from the doorway and Hope turned to find her mother standing there, looking much healthier than she had the last time the fifteen year old had seen her. Hope moved without hesitation, running to Hayley who met her halfway, sobs bubbling up in her throat as the teenager threw her arms around her. Freya left to give them some privacy as apologies spilled from the tribrid's lips, all the regret Hope had felt at her actions bursting out as Hayley held her, holding back her own tears and pressing kisses into her daughter's hair. "It's ok," she reassured the tribrid. "We'll be ok, I promise." Pulling back slightly, she grinned at the young girl, using a thumb to brush away some of her tears. "But next time you want to talk to your dad, just _tell_ me, ok?"

"Ok," Hope agreed, smiling wetly before hugging her mom again. "He's gone again, hasn't he?" She whispered into her mother's shirt, Hayley tightening her embrace slightly at the question.

"Yeah, baby. He can't stay, you know that." And if Hayley's throat closed up a little at the words, no one would know.

"Why can't we just be a proper family?" Hope asked, pressing the whisper into the folds of the cotton shirt. "Why is it too much to ask to have both my parents at the same time?"

"We will be, Hope. One day, no matter what it takes, we will be," Hayley promised her, voice filled with steel. Because neither she nor Klaus would ever stop fighting for their family and even though her methods were a little skewed, Hayley knew her daughter would never stop fighting either.

* * *

After everything, going back to school seemed to be the most mundane thing Hope could ever imagine. But Hayley insisted and so, a few days later, Hope found herself staring at her school walls, bracing herself before entering. Caroline informed her that Roman wished to stay for a while - it provided some semblance of home, especially now that he didn't really have anywhere else to go, he had told the vampire privately; begging for another chance which Caroline had granted him.

He was in her room when she walked in, sitting awkwardly on her bed, his hands folded in his lap like he didn't quite know what to do with them. "I'm sorry," he began, getting up as he spoke. "I didn't know what my mom was going to do-"

"I don't care," she interrupted him bluntly. "You need to leave me alone."

"Hope, please-" she cut him off again, gesturing towards the door with a glare.

"Get out. Don't come near me _ever_ again." The vampire dropped his gaze to the floor and left the room, Hope locking the door behind him and putting a small hex on the lock just in case. She had had enough of people forcing their way into her life to use her. The witch sank down onto her bed once he left, the interaction draining away all her energy. Hopefully she wouldn't have to see him much, right? It was a big school, how often would they be forced together?

Hope forced her mind away from that line of thought before she tempted fate any further than she already had. The fifteen year old watched movies, she knew how typical of a trope it was to force two people together in a series of 'unfortunate' yet hilarious accidents. Well, this witch had no compunctions in calling an uncle of hers and requesting numerous hexes just in case such occasions arose.

* * *

Hayley didn't blame Klaus for not sticking around after everything, what with the apocalyptic signs that would have followed in his wake. She understood, she really did, but tonight - a full moon hanging low in the sky, the thought of someone who _understood_ lingered in the back of her mind like an itch she couldn't scratch.

Freya was looking for something to undo the binding, Vincent as well, but so far they had turned up empty handed. It felt unfair to hope for the original to have been more successful in such a short time, but past precedent said much about what he was capable of and, before she knew what she was doing, her phone was in her hand and she was calling his number, hoping he'd pick up as she bounced on the balls of her feet in an attempt to expel the nervous energy that had filled her body. The vampire didn't even know what she was expecting from him, what she was hoping he'd be able to give her, as long as it helped.

"Hayley?" His voice was soft in her ear, worried even and she let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"Yeah, hey," she breathed out, ripping her gaze away from the window. "You know that feeling? When you feel trapped and you just gotta run, but you can't because there's nowhere to go and you're technically not trapped either?" Her words were rushed as she spoke and in the pause before Klaus replied, she wondered if she had even been coherent.

"Quite well, actually," the hybrid responded. "Personally, I've always found it very helpful to go out and slaughter a few nuisances in such cases."

"Not helpful, you ass," Hayley told him, a grin touching her lips for the briefest of moments. "People actually like me - and I'd like to keep it that way, thanks."

"Suit yourself," Klaus sighed, but Hayley could almost hear his grin over the phone. Damn, she had missed his ridiculous sense of humor.

"Um, so I know I didn't always go out for a run on the full moon, but now that I _can't_ , it's like my skin is on fire and there are like, ants or something just _crawling_ underneath it," she confessed, her gaze drawn again to the window and the moon outside. "No offense, but how the hell did you live like this for so long?"

"It certainly didn't help my psychopathic tendencies," the hybrid told her, a ring of seriousness to his words as he joked. He paused a moment before admitting, "it was… difficult. I hated having that choice ripped from me… and I hated everyone complicit in the act."

"Even… Elijah?" Hayley couldn't help but ask, her focus entirely on Klaus as she curled up on the sofa, tucking her legs underneath her.

"For a time." He sighed and Hayley could imagine him running his fingers roughly through his hair as he was drawn into memories of a time that should have long been left behind him. "You won't have to wait as long I did," he promised her suddenly. "I won't allow it. You will not have to endure this a second longer than necessary, Hayley. There's a loophole in this spell somewhere that we can exploit. There has to be and we _will_ find it."

"Well, how was your binding undone?" Hayley brought herself to ask, perfectly sure it was appropriately blood filled considering Klaus's history.

"Some nonsense regarding doppelgangers that was specific to my binding. Aptly destructive all things considered." he may not have been particularly descriptive, but the vampire knew him well enough to read between the lines by now.

"God, your mom was a piece of work. Well, hopefully it'll be a little less so for me."

"Hopefully," Klaus echoed, voice sombre and Hayley could feel the distance between them all too strongly in that moment.

"Hey," she said suddenly. "Don't, don't be a stranger, alright? Call once in a while." His hesitation hung between them, thick and heavy. Hayley almost believed he'd hang up on her again, cut himself off like he had four years ago.

"I'm not good for either of you, Hayley. What if the next time one of my enemies crawls out of whatever hole they lived in, one of you actually dies? I can't be responsible for destroying any more of Hope's childhood, Little Wolf. _I can't_." The hybrid's voice was soft, cracking with emotion and fear as he tried to make her understand, Hayley's heart breaking a little more at his words.

"You won't be. I mean, for God's sake, Klaus, you entrusted Hope to me for most of her life in order to keep her safe. You've put her above _everything_ and you expect me to believe, even for a minute, that you might not be good for her? You're her dad, she needs you… I need you. Being a single parent is hard," she added on with a soft chuckle.

"I'll think about it. Good night, Hayley." Abrupt as ever, he shut the phone and Hayley sighed. Why the father of her child had to be so stubborn was entirely beyond her. An idea struck her and she got up to find Freya. Perhaps Klaus could be persuaded after all.

* * *

A letter burned into existence by Klaus's side, the hybrid snatching it out if the air as it floated down. Tearing open the envelope, two pieces of paper fell out, along with a picture of Hope when she was younger. Hayley's simple handwriting filled both pages.

 _I know that things have been hard,_ she wrote. _I know that none of this has ever been easy, Klaus. But I also know that Mikaelsons never give up on each other, and we never stop fighting. You and I, we promised Hope a better childhood than the ones stolen from us. Because of what you did, we were able to keep that promise. You are not your parents. And Hope will not stop fighting until we're all together, I will not stop until my daughter has both her parents. So I need you to keep fighting too. And that includes getting off your ass and picking up the phone once in a while._

 _Because we miss you._

 _Hayley._

* * *

 **Hey! I hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment on your way out, but please no spoilers for 5.09 cos I get it late. Thanks!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey y'all! Sorry for taking forever with this chapter, but life and weddings and cousins happened plus a little bit me going the hell do i write? Anywhere, the support you've been giving me is amazing, please continue to review and tell me what y'all think!Um, we don't really get to meet Hope's school friends by my understanding, so I made up one for the purposes of this fic. Fairly unimportant if I'm being honest, but I figured I'd clarify. Do let me know if you'd like me to clarify anything else and please do correct me on anything pertinent which I have gotten wrong.**

 **Also, a few suggestions regarding how to unbind Hayley would be welcome, lol. Because so far I got smash the stupid stone on a night when there's a full moon and idk maybe there's some spell for which Freya and/or Vincent would probably need to channel someone really powerful (aka Klaus) in order to break it. Anyway, I'm continuing the letters theme and I really hope you like what I came up with. As always, read, review and enjoy!  
**

* * *

 _Dear Klaus,_

 _Hope turned twelve today. Of course, you already know this, considering you sent her that amazing paint set. She loved it so much, you should have seen her face when she unwrapped it. (I took a picture for you.) God, she knew it was from you almost immediately - I think that's part of the reason she loved it so much. Hope can't wait to start using the paints. She's already attempted to convince me to buy her half a dozen canvasses!_

 _Our daughter is growing up, Klaus. She's growing so, so fast and sometimes I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up. And she has so many questions, about us, about her family, about herself… God, sometimes I don't even know how to begin answering them! And soon, I don't know, she's going to start asking me questions about makeup and boys and honestly? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't mind you compelling at least some of those boys to priesthood. How do I keep up with her by myself? I'm terrified just thinking about it…_

 _But one day at a time, right? Right now she's painting and I think I'll just sit and enjoy this as long as I can. Anyway, I thought you might like to know you're not the worst influence on her. Kol keeps sending her Shakespeare's best - sort of like 'How to Survive' manuals. At least he's trying though. We miss you._

 _Love you,_

 _Hayley._

* * *

There was something so strange about attending school as if nothing had changed. As if people hadn't _died_ , as if she wasn't irrevocably changed by all that had happened. But in the same moment, walking into math class and taking a seat by her friends, it was as if nothing and everything had changed.

Shooting a small smile towards Lily as she sat down, Hope readied herself for the sheer mundanity of what was to follow. Lily did not disappoint. The brunette launched into a rant about her current favourite show, going on about how absolutely dumb it was being, the writers disrespecting her preferred characters in favour of those she couldn't care less about - a fact not helped by their lack of development, she made sure to impress upon Hope. Not that the tribrid was particularly paying attention. She knew it wasn't right, but it was practically the same rant every single time and Hope simply didn't understand why her friend kept watching shows by this network and expecting different results. It was all too easy to tune her out and hum and nod at the appropriate times while losing herself in her own thoughts.

Because even though it seemed that nothing was different, that wasn't true. Someone had died because of choices she had made. Someone she knew, someone who had trusted her. Her mother… God, with the way her dad had reacted to her attempt to bind her werewolf side, Hope didn't even want to think of what her mother was going through because of her. And that was the worst part, wasn't it? So much bad had happened because of her. It was easy to say that people's choices were their own but it felt far too much as if she was the unwilling catalyst to many of the decisions made. Therefore, wasn't it as much her fault as anyone else's?

Didn't that mean she had an obligation to help fix everything?

* * *

 _Dear Klaus,_

 _You won't believe what I found today. I found that old Polaroid camera of Rebekah's! You know, the one we took our first family picture with that christmas? You won't believe it, but it still works! I hope that one day we can take another picture with it - all of us. It doesn't matter where - here, in the Mikaelson home, out in the bayou, or even somewhere other than New Orleans. As long as we're all together… I don't think I'd mind the location. After all, Freya tells me I am incapable of looking bad in pictures!_

 _Hope, on the other hand, just called the camera an 'antique' and asked why I'd want to use it when phones exist. Honestly? Given how ancient most of her family is, I really don't think she should be complaining about the age of a polaroid camera! But, here we are. I'm sorry, I guess by your own daughter's standards, you're practically a fossil!_

 _I'm glad I found the camera though. Even though you're totally being a deadbeat right now, at least you can see her grow through pictures. You're not a monster. I wish you'd understand that. Pick up the damn phone, please._

 _I miss your sense of humor._

 _Hayley._

* * *

Hope was in literature class when a knock on the door had every head swiveling to look at the source of the disturbance. A boy she somewhat recognised but didn't really know, poked his head through the doorway. "Uhh, Hope Mikaelson? You're being called to the office?" He nodded once and, having delivered his message, left. Now everyone turned to stare at Hope, a dark flush rising to her cheeks as the students started whispering amongst themselves. Quickly stuffing her books in her bag and standing, the tribrid left the room and made her way to Caroline's office, wracking her mind for anything that could have gotten her into trouble that wasn't already dealt with. Coming up with nothing didn't alleviate her nervousness at all unfortunately, only serving to increase it.

Reaching the office, Caroline called her in before she had even knocked, the simple action causing her heart to beat slightly faster. Until the blonde smiled gently at her, that is, the simple action putting her at ease faster than any words. "Hey, Hope," the vampire began. "I'm sorry I had to call you during class, but I really don't have any other free time and I figured this was important."

"Uh, what is?" The teenager couldn't help but ask. "Is everything ok? Did something happen to my mom?"

"Hayley's fine," Caroline reassured her. "We're here to talk about you. After everything, I wanted to know how you were doing."

"Me? I'm fine." The words slipped out easily, Hope slumping in her seat and offering up a smile of her own. Unfortunately for her, Caroline had seen that smile far too often in the mirror to believe it.

"Hope," she began, swallowing delicately as she thought of how to continue. "I don't know if you know this, but I first met both your parents when I was a little older than you are now. Not everyone will admit to this, but they both generally know what they're doing. Even when it seems wrong. Especially your dad. And I know that being a teenager can suck, especially when one of your parents isn't around and bad things are happening. And you feel like you have no control over anything in your life. I've seen people die too, my friends, people I love. So trust me when I say, _I know what you're going through_. And I know that sometimes you need someone to talk too."

"So, what? Your door is always open? Thanks, but I think I got it covered." The initial surprise fading away, Hope found herself speaking, sarcasm falling from her lips before Caroline could repeat the cliche. The blonde, however, didn't so much as blink before continuing.

"My door is always open, yes. I don't know all that you're going through, but I'd love to listen when you're ready to share. Till such a time though, I am mandating that you have regular sessions with the school counselor, ok?"

"Why? I told you, I'm fine!" Hope knew she was being bratty, but she couldn't quite make herself stop.

"And when you can look me in the eye and tell me that, I'll believe you. You're dismissed, Hope. Thank you."

* * *

 _Hey Daddy._

 _So Mom never sends any of the letters she writes, but she always looks… happier-ish, I guess, after writing them, so I thought I'd give it a try too. I'll probably keep this in one of her envelopes. I don't know what else to do with it._

 _So… I'm fourteen now, and um… I don't really know what to say. [Uh, write?] Mom writes so many of these that it shouldn't be this hard for me to figure out what to say, right? But it is and I don't know why._

 _Maybe it's because I feel like I don't really know you. I mean, I know that you're my dad and I know that I love you and, um, I know that I miss you. It's weird to me that I can love and miss someone this much when I barely know them… but I do. I really,_ _really_ _miss you._

 _Well, Marcel sometimes tells me stories of you, so I guess I know that you're brave. And that you'll do anything for our family… But I don't just want a fairy tale prince anymore. I just want you. I just want my dad. I want to know your favourite color and song. I want to know what food reminds you of home. I want to know what you look like in your wolf form - and if my own wolf form will be more like you or more like mom's. I want to know what you smell like, if it's anything like the city. I want to know your hobbies and where you go to relax and where you go to enjoy yourself. I want to sit beside you and paint and ask for advice. I want it all… but I think it's too much to ask. I keep thinking maybe someday it won't be too much… but it's been forever and I'm starting to think someday might never come._

 _I'm sorry if the reason you don't talk to me or to Mom anymore is me. But I'd give anything to be able to talk to you again. If family is Always and Forever, doesn't that mean you'd do anything too? I wish you would. I love you Daddy._

 _Hope._

* * *

 **Well, I really hope y'all enjoyed that. I gave Caroline a bigger role cos I enjoy her character and I feel like she would understand at least some of what Hope's going though. Also yes the kid is getting therapy cos she needs it. And yes, she's a brat about it because as a teenager, she hates asking for help. This is not only canon for the show but for real life because as a teenager, I can tell you, sometimes asking for help is the hardest thing to do. Sorry for the lack of Klaus and Hayley interacting physically, but I really wanted to get this done and I was super excited for the letters. I'm also super excited for what's to come. See you next time! Please leave a review on your way out!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I know it's been a hot minute, but you know, life and the way things are shaping up in the show really got me down. Also, I've only got the bares of bones of an idea with which to continue this so that should be fun. Seriously, any input is more than welcome. That said, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! Read, review and enjoy!  
**

* * *

 _Is Hope more fond of heels or boots?_

Hayley was in the kitchen when her phone buzzed and, picking it up, she stared at Klaus's text for a few minutes, trying uselessly to formulate a response before giving up and just calling him. "Firstly," She began speaking as soon as he picked up, not even allowing him a moment in which to say 'hello.' "Hope is fifteen, she'll love both. Secondly, do you even know her foot size? Thirdly, _why_? I hardly think _bribery_ is going to help you achieve much of anything with her right now."

"Well, hello to you too, Hayley," Klaus replied sarcastically once she finally paused. "I'm fine, yourself? How's New Orleans treating you?" The vampire could hear the grin in his voice as he teased her. It was definitely clear where her daughter's dramatic nature came from. At the very least, it kept life amusing when she wasn't rolling her eyes. "What am I doing? Oh nothing much," Klaus continued, clearly enjoying himself. "Just trying to rebuild my relationship with my daughter - with absolutely no help from her mother, might I add."

Hayley found a grin forming on her own lips as she imagined the father of her child raising an eyebrow in mock indignance. Balancing the phone with her shoulder, she pulled out a mug as she spoke, filling it with some coffee. "Well," she interjected, "is it my fault her father automatically goes for bribery instead of, I don't know, _picking up the phone like a normal person_?"

"Normal is overrated, Hayley! And oh, so dull! Besides, based on past precedent, nothing works so well as some old fashioned bribery." Well, he did have a point there, she had to give him that. "Also, I already asked Freya for Hope's shoe size," Klaus added on as an afterthought - as if knowing Hope's shoe size meant he was now obligated to buy her a pair.

Hayley had to bite her lip so as not to burst into laughter, suggesting instead that he might as well then also "throw in a book on vampires as a joke."

"I want to," the hybrid told her, annoyance seeping into his voice. "But all I could find was that sparkly nonsense and somehow, I'm doubting that Hope's learned italian during her time at Caroline's school."

"Well, you're not wrong… maybe a leather jacket? Nothing says 'rebellious phase' than one of those and Hope's definitely entered hers." She spiked her coffee with some blood, God only knew she needed all the energy she could get when it came to this family.

Klaus paused, considering the idea for a moment. "Now _that's_ being helpful, Hayley."

"Thanks, I try," came the dry response. "Don't go too overboard. Hope just wants to get to know you and a boatload of presents isn't exactly going to be particularly helpful with that."

"I know," Klaus sighed. "Getting back into Bekah's good graces was so much easier."

"Yeah, well, your sister has had a hell of a lot more time to get used to you being an ass. I'm sure Hope will catch up soon enough."

Klaus hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe we _do_ need therapy, all things considered."

"Mm, yeah, somehow ahead of you on that. Caroline called me up to ask if it was ok to put Hope in counseling," Hayley interjected after gulping down the rest of her drink. Features morphing into a frown as a thought occurred to her, she asked, "does it make me a bad mom for not even thinking of that as an option before she mentioned it?"

Klaus snorted. "You? A bad mother? It'll be a cold day in Hell."

"I _am_ pretty awesome," the vampire agreed with a grin.

"Modest too," came the sarcastic retort.

"Hey, Hope had to get it from somewhere!"

"So most likely Marcel, then, no?" Hayley's exaggerated gasp of indignation left them both in peals of laughter.

* * *

Thursdays, Hope decided, were the absolute _worst_. You'd think, what with the weekend being so near, that Thursdays wouldn't be so bad, but you'd be wrong. They were awful, awful, _awful_. Honestly, by the time they rolled around, you were typically exhausted after a long week and they always feel longer than any other day. Besides, this particular Thursday, Roman had practically ambushed her to try and 'apologise' or whatever and, like she'd _already told him_ , she didn't want his stupid apology. Plus, her dumb counseling sessions which, she should mention, were _completely_ dumb and unnecessary, were scheduled for Thursdays. Also there was always that _one_ teacher who thought a pop quiz was an amazing idea. So by the time she let herself in her dorm, Hope was emotionally and physically drained, ready to fall face first onto her bed.

Well, until the parcel that was carefully perched on her desk caught her eye. Curiosity piqued, she dumped her bag onto the floor and picked up the box, moving to sit on her bed, carelessly ripping off the paper once she was comfortable and tossing it aside. Taped to the lid was a small envelope, her name scrawled elegantly on top. Half a dozen different possibilities presenting themselves to her, Hope searched the box for a return address, her heart racing. Upon finding 'Klaus Mikaelson' neatly printed on the discarded paper that had covered the parcel, a rush of emotions flowed through her, ranging from confusion to elation to anger that it had taken him so long. She set the letter aside for the moment, though, unsure if she wanted to read it just yet, choosing instead to look through the contents of the box first.

Lying atop Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' was a small charm bracelet, a single charm attached - that of a crown. Both items made her smile despite herself, the small note inside the book informing her that her father couldn't bring himself to buy her 'Twilight' raising a giggle to her lips. At the very least, Klaus had class, she had to give him that. Lastly, underneath the book, she found a pair of gorgeous leather boots, insanely soft to the touch and clearly ridiculously comfortable. Hope couldn't wait for an opportunity to wear them. Unfortunately, as much as she was afraid of what it would say, she couldn't put off reading his letter any longer. Slipping on the bracelet and placing everything else to the side, she leaned back against the headboard and picked up the envelope, trembling fingers running carefully over her name on the front before flipping it over to open it and pull out the letter inside.

 _My dearest Hope,_

 _I'm not quite sure where to begin. Your Uncle Elijah liked to compare me to a Shakespearean character, but I'm afraid words often fail me when I need them most. I suppose that firstly apologies are in order. I cut myself off from you and your mother in order to protect you but I had never imagined that by doing so, I would only cause you more pain and I am so, so sorry for what my actions led to._

 _I misspoke when we met and I regret not telling you then that you are absolutely perfect as you are. Nothing will ever change that fact, not now, not ever - no matter what anyone says. You are perfect as you are and yourself is all I ever ask you to be. I am sorry that you had to encounter anyone who would tell you that what you are, what you have the potential to be, is unnatural, is anything less than wonderful, because it is not and they could not be more wrong._

 _Your mother was right, always and forever is my promise to the both of you - and it is one I will fulfill to the best of my ability. I have ignored my responsibility to you for far too long and always and forever is no less than what you deserve as my daughter, as a Mikaelson._

 _I cannot ask you not to dwell upon recent events, but please, do not blame yourself for what happened. If anyone is at fault, it is myself, my actions that led to the choices you and Hayley had to make. But your mother will be fine, I will make certain of it. What happened to her may have been unavoidable given the circumstances, but it is not irreversible._

 _If you'd allow me, Hope, I want to be a larger part of your life. I promise to be a better father than I have been in the past. At the very least, I'd love the opportunity to try. I don't know when we might be able to meet in person again, when it will be safe for us to do so, but at the very least, I can promise to pick up the phone when you call._

 _Forever yours,_

 _Your father._

As she read the letter, tears formed in Hope's eyes, tracking tears down her cheeks without her realising it until they dripped down onto the paper she held in her hands. It was everything she had wanted to hear from her father for so long, she didn't quite know what to do now that she had. For years, he had been this… this larger than life figure, this fairytale prince but according to so many others, also this dangerous villain, she had no idea what he'd be as just her dad. And as much as she wanted to know, she was afraid of the answer, afraid that he wouldn't live up to figure she'd created in her mind, built from her mother's stories.

* * *

A knock on her office door had Caroline look up from her computer, calling out a soft "come in" as she did so. The vampire was surprised to see Hope Mikaelson lingering shyly in the doorway, although she quickly schooled her expression into one of polite interest. "Hello, Hope. Can I help you with anything?"

The teenager took a deep breath before dropping into the chair in front of Caroline's desk. "You're the most unbiased person I know," she began, Caroline humming in quiet confusion. "I was wondering - can you tell me about my dad? You said you knew him."

The question threw the blonde for a moment, dozens of memories flashing through her mind as she thought of what to say. "God, where should I begin? As I mentioned before, I was a little older than yourself when I first met him. He was… well, he was pretty different."

" _Dangerous_ ," was the word her mind provided and, although she didn't say it, Hope did. "Everything I've heard apart from what my Mom or Marcel told me was that he wasn't exactly _good_."

Caroline huffed out a laugh, picking up a pen to fiddle with it. "Is anyone? Believe me, Hope, none of my closest friends were always particularly _good people._ "

"What do you mean?"

"After a while, the lines - they start blurring. Sure, Klaus has a lot more to answer for than most, but at the end of day, I'd trust him to do just about anything for the ones he cares for. He was… _is_ ruthless when it came to getting what he wanted, but if I'm being honest, I think Elijah was always more so. He just… dressed it up better than Klaus did." A short laugh escaped her lips, "then again, Klaus always did love his dramatics."

"He wants to be a part of my life again," Hope blurted out. "I want him in my life too but… I'm scared."

Caroline paused then, smiling softly before speaking. "Your dad's changed a lot from the person he was when I first met him, but he never really _was_ the psychopath everyone, including himself, made him out to be. I can't say I agree with his methods, but I also can't say that we never used them for our own ends when we needed to." Caroline placed her hand on the table, palm facing up in an open invitation, gripping Hope's hand tightly when the teenager slowly lifted it to rest against the blonde's. "I don't know what it is you're looking for from me," she began, meeting Hope's eyes, "but what I do know is that Klaus loves you like no one he's ever loved before. And I know if you let him back into your life, he probably won't disappoint."

* * *

"One day, I'm going to bring you and Hope to Italy." There was a smile tucked away inside Klaus's languidly spoken declaration, gentle and soft - looking content in a way he rarely ever was and Hayley wondered what he had been doing before this call. "It's got history," he continued, "and somehow, none of it my own."

"Huh, is that even possible?" She teased, a grin playing about her own lips as she met his eyes through the slightly pixelated video.

"Let's just say I made sure to bury any remnants myself." There was an almost imperceptible edge to his words, but it soon melted away, neither of them willing to pursue the subject. "Besides, the city can survive a few weeks without you - at the very least, we'll get to see how capable Vincent really is at keeping it from burning to the ground."

"I could use a holiday…" Hayley began contemplatively before declaring, "I've had enough of ancient history though. What else can Italy offer me?"

"I'm sure we'll find something." That smile was more mischievous now, amusement bleeding into his words and filling Hayley with warmth. "Perhaps I'll bore you with visits to art museums, if nothing else."

"Try that and I'll show you exactly where you can shove all that art," she told him without missing a beat. Klaus only snorted, muttering something about her lack of culture which she promptly ignored. The conversation turned eventually to New Orleans, as it often did, Hayley filling in the hybrid on the latest gossip. "The bayou is in full celebration mode," she told him, not bothering to hide her own excitement. "There are babies on the way and everyone always loves it when there are going to be new additions to the pack. I think Cindy's a little overwhelmed with all the attention, actually." From there, it was an easy skip to their own family - mainly bemoaning the trademark Mikaelson stubbornness. "Freya refuses to admit she's a mess without Keelin," the vampire confided, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips.

"Ah, yes, how _is_ that relationship going?" Klaus asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Hayley made a strangled noise, irritation filling her voice. "It's _not_. I love your sisters but goddamn, neither of them have any idea how to handle their love lives and it is _frustrating as hell_!"

"Marcel is on his own when it comes to Bekah, but I suppose it's about time Freya had a break from solving our problems -"

"If she's even capable of it," Hayley huffed. "I can't even remember the last time she focused on herself."

"Well, she wouldn't have any reason not to if I found adequate solutions to our problems…" Klaus drawled, a gleam in his eyes.

"You what?" Hayley sat up straighter, fingers itching to reach through her screen and shake some answers out of the hybrid.

"Did you know Rome never formed its' own mythology?" He said instead and Hayley wondered if her daughter would forgive her for murdering Klaus. "They adopted it from the different pantheons they encountered over time.".

"Get to the _point_ , Klaus," she all but growled.

"The _point_ being that the shamans here have potential, if dangerous, solutions." The obvious question of just how dangerous it was, rose to Hayley's lips, but before she could ask it, Klaus continued, the brightness in his eyes fading a little, a tight smile forming on his lips. "It seems the witches here never stopped believing in the old gods - and they're about as merciful as the ones in New Orleans. Luckily, I have yet to piss any of them off," he added, trying for some levity.

"You cannot be serious," Hayley deadpanned.

Klaus sighed, "it seemed a better idea than giving back the Hollow's power to the monsters in New Orleans."

Hayley conceded, if unwillingly, that he had a point - but still, "where does the danger come in?"

"Mystic artifacts, possible possession, their gods getting greedy - the usual nonsense," Klaus said airily and, if the vampire wasn't ready to murder him before, she certainly was now. At the very least, she was wondering what the reach was on Freya's hexes.

"Somehow I never realised you were suicidal, Klaus."

"Don't think I've been called that before," he commented, a genuine grin touching his lips. It fell away at the sight of Hayley's glare. "It's not as bad as it sounds, Little Wolf" he said quietly.

"Which is why I'm probably the only one you've told so far?" His silence was enough of an answer for her and she nodded once, jaw set. "Whatever the hell this is, you're not doing it alone. Make whatever arrangements you need to and get me out there." Any protests the original would have made died on his lips at seeing the resolve on her face. Hayley had never made a habit of mincing her words, not when it came to Klaus and she certainly wasn't about to start now. And, as much as it irritated him at times, he couldn't help but respect her for it. "Make the arrangements," she repeated, softer now. "We'll figure this out together."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Guess who's back! It nearly killed me, but here I am with the new chapter!**

 **Ok, so important note, I'm not Italian but the last segment of this chapter and some part of the next is set in Florence, Italy. Imma be honest here, it's pretty much because I saw Medici Masters of Florence a couple months ago and became obsessed. That said, I did do a bunch of my own research, obviously, but given that I am not Italian, if I've made any mistakes, please do correct me - but please do so nicely because they were entirely unintentional on my part.**

 **That said, read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

"Hayley? What the hell is this?" Freya held up an envelope, the witch's name printed neatly on top in Hayley's simple handwriting.

"That," Hayley told her, walking up to the doorway she was standing in and plucking the envelope out of her fingers, "is your ticket out of this city to the absolutely _gorgeous_ lady who has been waiting on your ass for far too long." The vampire grinned at the stunned expression that faced her, twirling the envelope in open invitation for Freya to take it.

"What - I can't just _leave_ -" she sputtered out, Hayley promptly smacking her on the arm with the envelope.

"Like hell you can't!" She took a deep breath, calming herself before continuing. "Freya, you're amazing and I love you, you know that, right?" The witch in question nodded once, skeptical look in her eyes and a hand placed on her hip in annoyed expectation of where this was going. "But you're a moron who needs to go after her girl!" Hayley's impassioned statement had Freya starting in surprise. "Keelin is a goddamn _saint_ for waiting for so long and besides - you deserve to have your own life instead of always cleaning up after our messes!" Hayley's voice was earnest, passionate - a stark contrast to Freya's quiet question.

"What if cleaning up this family's messes is all I know how to do?" Her fingers played with a pendant that hung from her neck; the movement doing nothing to hide the small tremors that were running through her hands.

"That's why it's so important you go," came the gentle reply, fingers squeezing tight around the witch's own, before pressing the envelope into Freya's hand.

"But I still need to-"

"You need to get yourself over to your girlfriend, is what you need to do," Hayley told her firmly, cutting through any last protests she might have attempted. "I'm flying out to meet Klaus in a couple days; he thinks he might have a way for us to fix our own problems. You're on vacation _at least_ until I get back. OK?"

"But what about-"

"Vincent can handle things down here on his own for a bit and I'm planning on calling Marcel to keep an eye on Hope. He's got enough of a soft spot for his 'baby sister' to agree. Besides, she's at school and I think I can trust Caroline to keep her safe there. _You_ need to focus on packing, though. Your flight is tomorrow." A wide grin spread across the vampire's face as Freya inhaled sharply and nodded, a little dazed at this turn of events but accepting them. "Give Keelin a hug from me!" Hayley winked as she started to walk away.

"Hayley..." Freya called out before she left, voice trembling with emotion. "Thank you."

"What else are sisters for?" Hayley asked with a smile.

* * *

"You're _leaving_?" A strong Irish accent had Hayley looking up from her phone, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had just wanted to get some coffee, not have this confrontation right here and now.

"Declan… hey…" All of a sudden it felt as if her throat was closing up and she could hardly get a word out. Declan, unfortunately, did not seem to share her suffering and was definitely capable of voicing what he wanted to say to her.

"I had to hear from _Vincent_ \- were you even going to _tell_ me? After _everything_ that's happened, what with you disappearing, Hope's father coming back and actin' like he _owned_ the bloody place, _us_ -"

"Honestly, was there ever even really an ' _us_ ' to begin with?" Hayley suddenly found her voice, wanting to interject before the situation escalated any further. Unfortunately for her, there wasn't really any part of his sentence that wasn't loaded to the point where she didn't want to touch it with a ten foot pole. "I like you, Declan, I really do - but there isn't a future for us. I can't say there ever really was."

"Seriously? That's what you're going with? _Was there ever even an us?_ " His voice rose in disbelief as his anger built. Accent thickening with every word, he moved towards her as he spoke, words falling from his lips in an unending torrent of emotion. "You _disappeared_ and then came back like it was _nothing_. For _days_ you were just _gone_ \- and then you come back and just - _nothing_. Like you never even left. Hope's father was ready to tear down the place looking for you and then you came back and he - it's as if he never even bothered coming back! And we still haven't talked-"

"Because there's nothing to talk about," Hayley interrupted, her arm shooting out to stop him. "Declan, you're a nice guy, but," and here her voice hardened, filling with steel, "we aren't going to work out long term. I was coming to tell you that before everything and, I'm sorry, but my mind hasn't changed about that. I'm moving forward with my life and you should too."

"So that's it then," the brunet said bitterly."We're done, just like that? Because I happen to think I deserve better than this."

"You do," came the unhesitating response. "I just can't be what you want me to be."

"This is because of him, isn't it - Hope's father. He comes back and you what-? Decide he's somehow better? Like he didn't _abandon_ you for seven years?" Hearing the accusation that spilled over his words, something inside Hayley went cold, her shoulders stiffening as Declan continued, not noticing the change in her posture. "The man _left_. He couldn't handle the responsibility of a family and _I'm_ the one who was here with you-"

"I'm only going to say this once: don't talk about things you don't know anything about." Hayley's voice had lowered to a snarl, her hands curled into fists by her side, fingers _itching_ to reach for Declan, show him exactly what she thought of his words. "I don't owe you an explanation and neither does Klaus. Stop looking for one."

A second's pause as he digested her words and then - " _wow_. You know, I think I can see it now," Declan said, scoffing a little. "I didn't before, but I do now. I was always a stand in, wasn't I?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Annoyance seeped into her voice, more and more obvious with every passing second as Hayley wondered if it was already too late to end this conversation in a manner that even somewhat resembled civility.

"You!" He spat out bitterly. "You had to raise Hope on your own without any help from him, but you still defend him! You get this - this _look_ and no matter what he's done or hasn't done, no matter what I say, I know you're going to say he's _justified_. I know you have your secrets, but I happen to have thought our relationship had actually been going somewhere before all this!" He shook his head then, a bitter laugh, ugly and cold falling from his lips. "I thought you knew you deserved better than him. That _Hope_ -" and that was the final straw.

Hayley found her arms rising, fingers curling into the collar of Declan's shirt, twisting the soft material as she pulled him close, snarling low in his ear. "Leave my daughter the _fuck_ out of this and stop pretending you have a right to my life. I can make my own choices. Accept that you're not one of them." She let go of him then, the man almost sent crashing to the floor. "You were nice," she continued, a smile of pure ice stretching her lips. "But like I said, we were never all that serious to begin with. Now, if you don't mind, I have a latte to order."

* * *

It wasn't until Hayley walked out of the terminal at the airport in Rome that the little voice in the back of Klaus's mind finally shut up. He hadn't doubted her, not really - it was just a little hard to believe she would actually come. That she hadn't changed her mind or that something else of greater importance hadn't arisen. It was difficult to accept that perhaps for once he may truly not be alone. Stepping forward, he called her name as she scanned the airport, stifling a yawn behind her hand as she caught sight of him. Unfortunately the benefits of being a vampire did not quite extend to eight and a half hour flights and, while Klaus empathized, he certainly had no qualms about teasing her for it.

"Tempting as it may be to watch movies the entire flight, it's usually advised against," he informed her with a smirk. She glowered at him.

"Talk to me when you have to suffer a baby crying every hour. I mean, who the hell brings a baby to business class anyway? Especially if the kid is gonna howl the place down?"

"If it makes you feel any better, there's likely a special place in hell, reserved for parents who travel with infants." A slow grin spread over Hayley's face as she admitted that it certainly didn't worsen her mood. As much as the vampire would have liked to collapse into the nearest bed, however, it wasn't to be and, a half hour later, they were boarding a train to Florence.

Finding comfortable seats that faced each other didn't end up being half as difficult as Hayley had anticipated based on the sheer volume of people on the platform. It was likely also helped by the fact that Klaus glared at any who looked as if they intended to join them, at one point speaking in rapid Italian to a man that made to sit down next to Hayley. He smirked triumphantly as the man walked away, a dark blush staining his cheeks.

"What the hell did you say to him?" Hayley choked out in between laughter.

"Just that while he may see nothing wrong in it, neither of us would particularly enjoy associating with a cheating bastard." He casually examined his nails as he spoke, only looking up at her from underneath those long eyelashes at the end of his statement, eyes sparkling with mirth as the brunette choked on a laugh.

"You didn't!" Klaus raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she expected any different from him and giggles bubbled up in her throat because yes, she could expect him to be so crass.

Pocket of privacy afforded, once the train started moving, the topic moved with it. After all, it wasn't Rome's gods Klaus was interested in, it was Florence's. And, as he told Hayley, Florence's gods weren't ancient deities, they were men.

"Have you heard of Occam's razor?"

"What's your point, Klaus?" Annoyance seeped into her voice at the randomness of his question.

"The simplest solution is often the best one," the hybrid told her. "Your binding wasn't half as complicated as mine, therefore we needn't treat it as such. What we do need, however, is raw energy to break through the moonstone." His fingers reached across the table to tangle with her own, eyes meeting hers, shining with something that, if she didn't know better, she'd say resembled hope. "Which is where Florence comes in."

* * *

"How do you know it's going to work?" The vampire couldn't help the question that burned through her, couldn't stop the slight tremor in her voice.

"Mutual benefit. The city absorbs the excess energy we leave behind." A sad laugh lodged itself in his throat as he continued, "if I knew Contessina de Medici, it's far more likely that the city will try and take more than what I can give. It was specifically designed to accept all kinds of magic, no matter how dark and twist it until it suited the city's purpose." Hayley's unasked question sent dozens of memories flitting through his mind, although aloud his only reply was that she was "the wife of an old friend and far more involved in the city's affairs than she is afforded credit for."

Klaus had enlisted the help of a witch in Florence, a young woman whose name Hayley had forgotten almost as soon as they were introduced. Given her nonchalant attitude and lack of glares, the vampire figured she needn't worry about her help being coerced or coming back to bite them in the ass.

Stepping into the Duomo, Hayley understood why the tour guide she had picked up earlier that day had referred to it as the spiritual centre of Florence. The very walls thrummed with life and energy; she could almost feel its heartbeat. Beside her, Klaus inhaled deeply, eyes sliding shut as he murmured a greeting, to whom, Hayley didn't know. Even the witch had reverence in her gaze, her uncaring attitude melting away. But they had a job to do and the night wouldn't last forever.

The witch quickly set up all that she needed, entirely professional in her actions. "Don't take anything that might happen personally," she warned them before beginning her spell, gesturing for them to start moving to the center of the cathedral.

Simple enough, it seemed, but one apparent wrong step is all it took and before either of them realised what was happening, Hayley was flung against a pillar, her body hitting the stone with a sickening crack. The vampire was held there by magical restraints, the look of surprise on her face quickly morphing into one of agony as the air around her hardened, tearing into her and ripping through the soft material of her shirt to the unprotected skin beneath, a scream wrenching itself from her throat. She struggled uselessly against the binds that held her, legs kicking at air, her movements growing more and more frantic. Behind them, the witch's voice rose with slight panic as she continued her chanting.

On the ground, about five feet away, Klaus desperately retraced his actions, mind working furiously to figure out Contessina's puzzle. He wanted to run to Hayley, a shout that resembled the brunette's name ripping itself from his lips, willing his legs to move but held in place by an unseen force. Within him, his wolf was howling with rage, his hands curling into fists and nails digging into skin hard enough to draw blood. It trickled down his palm, through the spaces between his fingers, drip-drip-dripping to floor, _sizzling_ as it reached the cool stone - and suddenly Klaus understood. She wanted proof before letting him any further. Of course she did. Of course this is how she'd demand it.

Pressing a fingernail to his forearm, he dragged it across the soft skin, the layers parting with an ease that shouldn't feel so normal had he been anyone else. Blood splattered onto the cool tiles and he could only imagine what even this little taste was doing to strengthen the city's soul. But there was no time even to wonder because, behind him, his little wolf was still writhing in pain, still crying out, defiance coloring her voice even through the pain. "Let her go," he called out, own voice rough, addressing the woman only he knew was there, held to this city by choice and duty. He could see her calculating gaze in his mind's eye as if it had been yesterday that she had looked upon him with it last. "The last thing I'd want to do would be to wreck what your husband built," he gritted out. "But for _her_ ," and the hybrid allowed his eyes to burn, black veins rippling underneath his skin, "for her, I would raze this city without a second thought." His words were a threat, a promise, a prayer rolled into one and he could feel his wolf pounding against the confines of his mind, begging to be let out, to protect what was his.

A light breeze fluttered around him, playing with his hair and he could feel her _considering_ , tasting the power he carried within his blood, _contemplating_ as if there was any time to waste. A moment passed, two, Hayley's screams growing hoarser and hoarser. He could feel it when Contessina accepted, breeze strengthening and whipping around him, carrying that calculating smile of hers on it as it blew through the cathedral. A whistle of air and Hayley was falling to the floor, crumpling into an unconscious heap.

* * *

 **So I really hope you enjoyed that! Just a couple more things, I put in Declan cos like, that was pretty poorly handled in canon in my opinion and I wanted closure for that story line. Declan is a nice enough guy, he does have a little asshole potential and he's been canonically proven to dislike Klaus, but besides that, he appeared to assume far more in that relationship than what Hayley was willing to give him, especially as evidenced by the fact that he was planning to propose like- what? Anyway, moving on.  
**

 **I have never been to Italy, but as far as I understand of the Duomo, it is a very important religious place, therefore, to those whom it is important, they are likely to look upon it with reverence no matter how many times they have seen it before. I've seen this with my own religious places, therefore I assumed the experience to be similar. Added to that, for the purposes of this fic, I have made it sort of the heart and soul of the city, almost literally. If I overstepped or am awfully incorrect in any way, do let me know.**

 **Also Hayley isn't really a bitch lol, she's just stressed which is why she isn't too fussed about remembering the witch's name. Also, I didn't wanna go to the hassle of naming her - sorry!**

 **My canon is that Klaus was probably very good friends with Cosimo de Medici, both being art lovers and that the Renaissance as a time period would be one especially meaningful to Klaus. Contessina is definitely a witch, whether her husband was is up to you as a reader. I chose her because she's not inherently evil, but she was likely far more invested in politics than historians assume she was (and no I'm not just saying this cos the show portrayed her as a badass but cos women usually played very important roles behind the scenes) and her main aim is safeguarding all that her husband had built/invested in - essentially ensuring the survival of the city and that it thrive. Hope this helped explain my thought process somewhat!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I'm back! Did you miss me? Don't answer that, I'm scared the answer is no. Anyway, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting but honestly this chapter was _such_ a struggle to write! Y'all deserve better, I know :( **

**That said, because I love y'all so much, I gift you with the ending of this chapter. Come scream at me in a review ;)**

 **Read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

 _One second… two… three…_

Hayley wasn't moving. _Hayley wasn't moving._

But Klaus's attention was ripped away from the she wolf as Contessina grabbed ahold of him, corporeal nails pressing into his arm, piercing skin and reopening the half closed cut with a fluidity that surprised the hybrid, and he _gasped_ as his blood spilled out onto the floor and, with it, the piece of the Hollow that he housed within his flesh. It flowed from him, almost tangible as it whipped around them, weaving through the pillars of the cathedral in a desperate bid for freedom.

The loss of that power was staggering; he'd had no idea how interwoven it had become with his own until it was gone and he was falling to the ground, his hands splayed out before him to brace himself against the cool mosaic. It felt as though she had removed a rib or ripped out a lung, pain lancing through his insides, her grip on him only tightening as he pushed out a weak cough from a mouth now filled with blood, draining him dry.

"That's enough," Klaus choked out between gritted teeth and, despite the lack of a corporeal body, he could feel her hesitation in releasing him. But behind him, he could just barely make out the voice of the witch he had hired as she bound the Hollow's power, channeling it towards the moonstone that hung in the air in front of her and Contessina drew back from Klaus as if he was on fire, about to launch herself at the witch before she was interrupted by the hybrid. "I'd prefer it if you didn't slaughter her, she _is_ one of yours after all and besides, good help is _so_ hard to find these days." Bloodstained lips curved into a grin at the outrage written on her face as Klaus pushed himself up, feigned innocence in his voice as he asked, "what, you can't have thought I wouldn't have a price for this?" Tutting softly, "you used to know me better."

Before she could retaliate, bright light arched through the air as the Hollow's magic burrowed through the moonstone. Cracks formed in the now brittle stone, spreading deeper and deeper until it was more fracture than anything else, a strange stillness curling around them as the stone crumbled and the light died away. A moment of complete silence - and then Hayley began to scream. Her body began to twist, bones snapping and reforming until a large wolf stood before them. Her fur was matted with blood, exhaustion set in the slump of her shoulders, disorientation coloring her eyes. She shook her head to clear it, sending a glance Klaus's way and then took off, speeding out of the cathedral as fast as her wounded body allowed her.

It took a moment for the hybrid to comprehend all that had occurred, less to rise to his feet and turn to follow Hayley. "Give my regards to your husband," he called out behind him to Contessina. "Use the rest of what you took from me for reinforcing something utterly mundane, I couldn't give a rat's ass what." He nodded his thanks at the witch who'd helped them as he stepped out, breathing in the fresh air. The new day had already begun.

There was something so pure about dawn, about watching the sun rise, taking its time to move lazily across the sky, vibrant red cutting through the pale blue. Nature was an artist Klaus couldn't help but respect, one he hadn't appreciated in this manner for a long while. A light breeze played with his hair, cool against his burning skin, scraping along the drying blood that stained his hands. He inhaled again deeply, once, twice, sparing a moment to listen to the birds twittering in the distance before setting off to find his Little Wolf.

* * *

"Hello, Hope." The school counselor smiled as the teenager walked in and, as it somehow always seemed to be able to do nowadays, Ms. W's soft demeanor had a calming effect on the witch, taking the edge off the ball of rage that had been rolling around her rib cage since lunch.

"Hey," she responded as she dropped into the chair in front of her. "Does it ever bother you how much people can _suck_?" The question burst out of her, surprising even Hope with it's forcefulness. Ms. W's only reaction, however, was to raise an eyebrow before smiling wryly.

"Only on days ending in 'y'. Did something happen?" And Hope didn't know if it was just the inflection in her voice or the fact that someone actually freaking cared and that someone was right in front if her and ready to listen, but all of a sudden, she was choking back tears and trying to swallow past the lump in her throat.

"Just, you know, the usual assholery," was what she managed. And it was true. She'd heard much worse before, but today - today she just couldn't take anymore of it, that jerk Tommy's voice echoing in her head about how she'd probably end up like her father, crazy and killing anyone who pissed her off without a second thought.

"I don't know, actually. Care to elaborate for me?" Although there was no change in her voice, her eyes hardened - something Hope may have noticed had she not been focused the hem of her shirt.

"Not really." Her counselor waited, gaze fixed on Hope as the teenager fidgeted. "It's just - _yeah_ , my dad _was_ a jerk to a lot of people but, I mean," in a rush, fiddling with a bracelet on her wrist, "he's still just my _dad_ , you know? He's got a weird sense of humor and he's really sarcastic but he loves to paint just like me. And even though he can be _awful_ to people who've pissed him off, I just know him as being willing to sacrifice, sacrifice _everything_ just for me. I just know him as the guy who sends me amazing birthday presents. But it's like - I'm _not_ him. I'm not going to crazy and kill a bunch of people just because they make me mad and it _sucks_ that people don't wanna see beyond who my father is to who _I_ am."

"I'm very sorry you have to go through that Hope," she told her sincerely. "You don't deserve any of it and you're very brave to be able to face that day in and day out." She paused before speaking, words chosen with deliberation. "Is there anyone in particular who treats you in this manner? Would you mind telling me who they are?" Hope shook her head and she sighed internally. Clearly, going to an authority figure hadn't worked for the kid in the past. "Don't worry," she gently coaxed, "nothing you tell me leaves this room unless you want it too, I promise. I'd just prefer to have it for my own records." And so Hope told her, missing the hard glint that entered her counselor's eyes as she noted down the name. And she thought nothing of it until Monday morning when Tommy slinked into class five minutes late, his hair a hideous neon pink, shirt on backwards and a canary yellow scarf wrapped around his neck. Ms. W denied all allegations put forward by Hope, but there was a twinkle in her eye the rest of the day.

* * *

He found Hayley about a mile out of town. The she-wolf had curled up at the foot of a hill, her head pillowed on her paws, tail curled around herself protectively. In all honesty, she resembled an overgrown household pet far more than she did a dangerous beast at that moment - something that was only amplified by her happy whine upon his appearance.

"I'm happy to see you too, Hayley," he told her, "but as much as I'd love to curl up with you here, this is neither the time nor the place." Her whine turned sad and for a moment Klaus wondered if he was dealing with his teenaged daughter instead. "Come on," he coaxed, a softness to his voice he hadn't known he was still capable of. "It's time to go and last I checked, most hotels aren't particularly accepting of wolves as guests," he informed her, a smile on his lips when she finally rose with an annoyed huff, delicately walking over to a nearby tree to shift back.

"I think most hotels would also look down on you bringing a naked woman inside so hand over your jacket," she called out exhaustedly when she turned back, wrapping it around herself in a few complicated maneuvers when he did so, the end result emulating a short dress, leaving her shoulders and arms bare but her torso covered. "I've had entirely too much free time on my hands these past couple years," she said in response to his questioning look before turning around and beginning to walk back towards the city.

Klaus began to follow her, stopping short as his gaze fell to her shoulder, a strangled sound escaping his lips, for upon smooth unbroken skin, there was a crescent moon. She stopped, turning to him in confusion as he strode over to her side, fingers outstretched, stopping a hair's breadth away from skin, something in his gaze asking for permission. She gave it with a slight nod, confusion still coloring her features as trembling fingers ran over smooth skin, his touch feather-light, tracing the crescent moon etched onto Hayley's skin. "When i was sent - I thought… I thought this part of you lost forever." The words caught in his throat, choked with emotion and stumbling over his lips and _oh._ She had never given thought to what Greta had done - but perhaps she should have.

"Hey, I'm ok," she whispered, raising her hand to cover his, slender fingers wrapping around Klaus's own. "I'm here and I'm alright now."

" _Now_ , yes, but before that? She _mutilated_ you in order to send a message to _me_! All that you have had to suffer has been, at least in part, due to _me_ , _my_ actions leading us all down a rabbit hole of pain!" For all his millennia of existence, Klaus didn't have many regrets. He did what was necessary for the continued survival of his family, even if that included alienating them if the situation demanded it. The regrets that he did have, however, most of them were in regards to the events of the past fifteen years.

"Bullshit." Hayley was glaring at him now, fingers squeezing his tightly. "We all made our own decisions and you are _not_ responsible for everything bad that's happened. I'm ok, Hope is ok. We're alive and ok _because of you_." And in her words he found something very much like absolution, eyes sliding shut as he let them wash over him, some of the ever present tension that was holding him upright flowing away. Unthinkingly, he raised the hand she still held, brushing a kiss across her knuckles.

"What would I do without you, my Little Wolf?"

"Spontaneously combust, I expect," she told him with a genuine smile that he returned. And then she was surging forward before she realised it, capturing his lips with her own in a passionate kiss.

* * *

 **Quick note, while writing the last segment, at the part where Klaus is like am I dealing with Hope or Hayley, I swear I accidentally almost had him refer to Hayley as his wife and just like I FREAKING WISH! Anyway, Klaus emoting makes Hayley wanna bang him. If you have time, drop a review on your way out please! :)  
**

 **Also, if any of you are into BTS (the kpop group) and on A03 or have any friends who are, please please please could you check out some of my BTS fics? They barely get any attention and it makes me really sad because like, am I not writing good? And I really love writing them which makes it even more sad :(**

 **So it would really mean a lot. I go by bored_wayward_dragon on A03 and the fic I'm currently posting for is called Bruised Flowers, a prequel to my other fic Lighter Fluid. And I really want to post the next chapter cos it'll be done soon but then I'm like what's the point if no one's reading it and no one's telling me if there's something that they like or don't in it. So if you get the time, please do check them out :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I;m so sorry for the delay and slightly shorter chapter! It's fought with me every step of the way and I'm still not really happy with it, but it's the best I'm gonna be able to crank out right now.**

 **Also, Klaus and Hayley are an old married couple and I can't stop writing them like one. This is a problem. You also didn't hear any of that from me.**

 **I really hope y'all like this though. Read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

 _Fireworks_. Call her old fashioned, but that was what it felt like to kiss Klaus. They had been through so much the past fifteen years, facing it together or staring at each other from opposite ends of the battlefield that was New Orleans. So much and it felt like somehow, it all led up to this one moment of connection, her hand cupping his face and his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her impossibly close and just - _fireworks_ and this feeling of _finally_ knowing she was exactly where she belonged. A torrent of butterflies fluttered in her stomach as Klaus deepened the kiss, maneuvering them so Hayley's back was pressed against the nearest tree and something in her delighted at the thought that he wanted this as badly as she did.

And even when they finally broke apart, it was impossible to move away, Klaus resting his forehead against her own and something warm curled around her heart at the way his fingers intertwined with hers, his hold gentle but firm. "What is this?" The question was whispered against her lips, soft and unsure and Hayley hesitated as all her responsibilities came crashing back down onto her shoulders. She hadn't the slightest clue where Klaus fit into any of them; she didn't know where he fit into her world, if he even did anymore.

Her hesitation was enough for Klaus to pull away, fingers loosening their grip immediately. She found herself chasing his touch, missing it already as her own grip tightened. "I don't know where this is going, but I know that I'm willing to see what it becomes," she told the other hybrid truthfully. A grin touched her lips when he nodded, the shutters that had come down over his emotions lifting long enough for Hayley to catch a glimpse of his own euphoria and something like hope rose in her chest. Maybe this time they'd be able to make it work.

* * *

There's a special kind of beauty that accompanies the merging of history and nature, an irony that presents itself when pairing humanity's hubris and the unending flow of time, here in the form of the Ponte Vecchio. The city's lights shone on the surface of the river Arno, their reflections breaking apart at the smallest disturbance, yet somehow shining bright as ever. And in spite of how crowded the old bridge was, the view from the Ponte Vecchio remained breathtaking.

"Is this what you meant?" Hayley couldn't keep the awe out of her voice. She clarified at Klaus's questioning look, "when you said you wanted to bring Hope and myself to Italy."

"In part." And it felt like a promise as he leaned in to kiss her, smiling against her lips.

* * *

"So a little birdy told me you were ready to tear down New Orleans looking for me." Klaus hummed thoughtfully as he kissed down the pane of her stomach, pressing small smiles into the soft skin before answering even as he tightened his hold upon Hayley's hips.

" _Please_ , the only reason I didn't burn the entire city to the ground was because I assumed you'd want to live in it once I found you." He punctuated his response with a bite, grinning at the soft gasp that escaped her lips.

"Well, you got that right at least." she tangled her her fingers in his hair, pulling him up for a proper kiss. A moment's delay and then - "Are you planning to tell Rebekah and Kol about what happened?"

"They should know."

"And… Elijah?" At his brother's name Klaus drew back, his response short and curt.

"He made his choice and it wasn't this family."

"Klaus… you can't mean that. It's _Elijah_." Hayley sat up, surprised at the vehemence behind his words, Klaus meeting her eyes steadily. "I mean, I think we can both agree he did what he did under some pretty extenuating circumstances."

"He chose to _forget_ all of us! That _choice_ ," the hybrid spat out, "could have led to your death. If I hadn't gotten there in time, that bigot would have killed you, killed _Hope_ given half the chance and that blood - it would have been on Elijah's hands. I can't forgive him for that. If I lost either of you -" he broke off, nails digging crescent moons into his palms, unable to meet her eyes.

"But you didn't," Hayley reminded him softly, her hands going to his. "I'm _right here_."

"But _he_ isn't. There is nothing left of my brother but a shade who wears his face," he breathed out, voice shaky. "And if he regained his memory, Elijah wouldn't be able to forgive himself either." His eyes met hers again, "my brother's suffered far too much already for me to take away his chance at a new life because I was too selfish to let him be happy."

Hayley surged forward, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. "You are not _not_ selfish, Klaus Mikaelson," she impressed on him once they parted, enunciating each word carefully and loudly. "You aren't the same guy I met in Mystic Falls and you are a _hell_ of a lot better than you think you are." His eyes as they met hers were a mix of wonder and disbelief, looking at her as if she was the only one in the world who mattered before pulling her in for another kiss. She wasn't naive enough to think he believed her, but that was ok. She had all the time in the world to convince him.

* * *

"I don't think we should tell Hope yet." Perhaps the flight back home wasn't the best time to bring this up, but hey, Hayley never claimed to be perfect.

"Tell Hope what?" Klaus asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You know," the she wolf hesitated, running her fingers through her hair as she gestured between them with her other hand. "About us - whatever this is. It's the last thing she needs right now." She bit her lip, looking anywhere but him until Klaus's fingers wrapped around her jaw, gently tilting her head up until their eyes met.

"Alright."

"Really?" Hayley started at the simple reply. She hadn't been expecting him to give in so easily, but he shrugged, his hand dropping to entwine with hers, squeezing lightly.

"The last time I checked, you saw fit to send her to school in Mystic Falls. I'd be surprised if she didn't already have far too much on her plate with that town's history." He laughed when she smacked his arm in indignation with her free hand.

"I mean, if you _wanted_ her to blow up New Orleans with the sheer unbridled force of her untrained magic, you could have _said_!" But she was laughing too, tension flowing from her body, allowing her to relax in her seat.

Klaus smiled as she lightly squeezed his hand back, winking as he kissed her cheek. "Where would be the fun in that?"

* * *

Hope burst into Caroline's office, tie askew and strands of hair messily falling across her face, having been freed from her ponytail in her rush to the office. "What happened?" She demanded, attention focused solely on her headmistress. "All Ms. W would tell me was that it had to do with my parents…" she trailed off as she realised who else was in the room with them, her backpack slipping from suddenly shaking fingers and falling to the ground with a loud thud. "Mom? Dad? You - you're back? Is it - is it even safe for you to be around me?"

Hayley nodded, her smile more than a little watery as she held out her arms, the fifteen year old rushing into them without hesitation as she allowed herself to be pulled into a bone crushing hug before turning to her father. The teenager's arms came up to encircle his waist, something within her lighting up when he returned the gesture, holding her as if he never meant to let go. "Thank you for fighting for us." The words were choked out, her voice hoarse with emotion as she clutched even tighter to the soft material of his shirt, so afraid this was a dream that she could be ripped away from at any moment.

"I will always fight for you, my littlest wolf," he told her, his own voice cracking on the words as he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"What - what does this mean for me now?" Hope asked once they could bear to finally separate, Klaus inclining his head towards Caroline with a small smile. The blonde replied with a smile of her own, her expression gentle as she turned to Hope.

"Well," she began, "now I'm putting you on leave for this week and the next effective immediately. You're going home with your parents, sweetheart," she clarified, her smile widening at the sudden exuberance that filled the teen's face, nodding at the whispered ' _really?'_ "I'll speak to the teachers about keeping you up to date with your lessons, so you won't have to worry about falling behind…"

But Hope wasn't listening to anything more that the headmistress had to say, her mind focusing on the enormity of the situation she had found herself in. She was going _home_! To spend a week - a whole _week_ \- with her parents! Both of them! Her mother _and_ her father! And she hardly dared to hope, what with their family's propensity to find themselves in dangerous situations - but maybe, _just maybe_ , this time they'd get to stay together.

Before she knew what was happening, she was being dismissed - Caroline obviously realising she wasn't able to pay attention to another word and taking pity on her - and the next hour was spent packing what she thought she might need for the following week as well as giving her friends the basic rundown of what had transpired so they wouldn't worry. But it was only when she was standing by the car, about to get in, that Hope was able to make herself voice the question the question eating away at her insides. "This isn't… this isn't temporary, right?" She swallowed harshly, fingers tightening their hold on the car door. "You can stay, right Dad? You don't have to go away again?" And _God_ , she hated how childlike she sounded, hated the way her eyes filled with tears that were ready to spill at a moment's notice. Hated the way it felt like she had no control whatsoever over any part of her own life.

And as her father smiled warmly down at her, it almost seemed as if he could read every fear and insecurity running through her mind as he shook his head. "Not if I can help it, my littlest wolf. I'm never leaving again, no matter what fate has in store for us." Hope nodded stiffly at his reply, choking back tears as she sat in the car.

"I'm holding you to that," she informed him, biting back emotion.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

 **Hey, I hope y'all enjoyed that and leave a review on your way out! Also, for those wondering why Klaus may appear to be slightly ooc, that's because 1)I feel like he'd be slightly hesitant when entering into a relationship with Hayley given their history and 2)he's more used to making compromises. For this, I refer to how he, especially while Hayley was pregnant with Hope, did do his best to make her comfortable - most of the issues that arose between them was cos of the way she flip flopped between family loyalties. He in general is definitely emotionally healthier - 1)literally one of the first things he did when coming to New Orleans in season 1 was get a therapist - I love Cami but that's what she basically was - and 2)has always seemed more emotionally prepared for raising a child and the sacrifices that entailed. For this I refer to how he raised Hope in the time between seasons 2 and 3. He made sure she wasn't isolated from her family, ensured she had meaningful interactions with her aunt and uncle and even gave Hayley visitation rights which is technically more than what she gave him. (Hate on me if you will but i always despised the way the show vilified Klaus for taking Hope and then turned around and romanticized Hayley for doing the same thing. I mean, she was gonna run away with the kid and raise him as Jackson's for god's sake!) So yeah, Klaus to me has always come off as the one willing and likely to do what's necessary whether it's in the form of ripping someone apart or making compromises. (aka why I loved the first 3 seasons so much)  
**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this, especially their reunion with Hope. I've been wanting to write this for a long time and it's my favourite part of the chapter. I hope you have an amazing week! Until next time!  
**

 **(Also, if you have time and are a BTS fan, please check out my fic Bruised Flowers on AO3, it'd mean the world to me cos I don't really get reviews or many readers and that really brings me down. Here's a link, just remove the spaces:**

 **archiveofourown works /15303093 /chapters/ 35502906**


	8. Chapter 8

**Heyy, it's been a hot minute, I know and I'm sorry. I got really busy with uni, turns out they actually do require you to do a lot of work, who knew? Anyway, this chapter is super Hope-centric, I really hope y'all enjoy it! For those who celebrate, merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah and merry crises! This is my winter present to all you lovelies!  
**

 **Read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

 _It was a dream. A beautiful, wonderful dream, but a dream._ That was what Hope told herself as she woke, doing her best to hold on to the last vestiges of yesterday before she had to get up. But when she eventually forced herself to open her eyes, it wasn't to the ceiling of her dorm room in Mystic Falls, but to her own bedroom in New Orleans. Sitting up in bed, she allowed it all to sink in as she breathed deeply, the dark band of fear and loss that had remained coiled around her heart for as long as she could remember finally loosening with every exhale. New Orleans had never _quite_ felt like home, not without both her parents. _But now_ … now it felt _whole_ , complete like it never had before. Of course, there was still a missing puzzle piece in the form of her aunt and uncle… but that was for another day. Right now, she was going to revel in the fact that she had _over a week_ to spend with her parents. _Both_ of them!

And _God_ , her parents were so _normal_ , Hope couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she remembered the drive home.

...

 _The radio was on low, her mother humming along to some old song Hope didn't recognise. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the fond smile on her father's face, or the occasional glances she caught him sending Hayley's way even as he loudly judged her mother for her music choices. It was becoming more and more obvious to the teen how much she didn't know about either of her parents, how much she wanted to know about who they were together, who they were apart, but in the meantime…_

" _So Italy, huh? Did you get me anything pretty?"_

" _You mean like maybe a brush for that bird's nest you're calling hair?" Hope shrieked loudly at Hayley's teasing, her hands immediately rising to her head to smoothen her curls._

" _Excuse you, my hair is perfect!" She yelled indignantly as her mother laughed._

" _Sweetheart, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but your dad's genes - they messed up my perfection and now you have to live with the consequences." The brunette grinned innocently as Klaus turned offended eyes to her. "What? It's true!"_

" _After everything we've been through," he demanded, "this is to be my fate? To have my hair insulted?"_

" _It's in the small print," the she wolf told him, turning in her seat to wink at Hope as her father grumbled some more._

" _There's no accounting for taste," he informed Hope sadly. "Hopefully my genes are dominant in that respect at least." He grinned as Hayley squawked in protest and smacked him, loudly defending herself._

...

Voices filtered through the walls, breaking through the memory and her grin widened as she threw off her blanket and ran downstairs, excited, for the first time in a long time, to begin the day.

* * *

Klaus found Hayley in the kitchen, sleepily spooning several spoons of sugar into a mug of coffee. He couldn't quite stop his smirk at her pout when the fifth spoon glanced off the rim of the mug, spilling sugar granules all over the counter, not that he wanted to. "I can feel you being an asshole from all the way over here," the she wolf complained, turning around to glare at him.

"Oh good, I was concerned I was being too subtle." He crossed over to her, lightly pecking her on the lips as he stole the mug and took a sip of the hot liquid, making a face as he swallowed. "How on earth do you drink that?" he asked, disgustedly passing the mug back as Hayley made grabbing motions with her hands.

"Shut up, it's delicious," she retorted before taking a long sip. "I suppose you have yours 'black as your soul'?"

Klaus looked at her warily, "I'd say yes, but I'm afraid you'll make me something undrinkable out of spite."

Hayley squinted at him from over the rim of her mug before declaring that he was definitely 'a basic Starbucks bitch.' She took another sip to hide her grin at his protests, humming happily as the liquid warmed her system. "D'you think Hope's up yet?"

"Judging by the sound of those footsteps…" the hybrid trailed off, smiling as Hope burst into the kitchen, skidding to a stop just before she crashed into her parents, a brilliant grin spread across her face. The teenager threw her arms around her parents, pulling them both in for a quick hug before bouncing up to sit on top of the table, kicking her legs back and forth almost unconsciously.

"So what's on the agenda for today?"

"Breakfast, before anything else. Has that school even been feeding you?" Klaus asked.

"Only the best gruel Mystic Falls has to offer," the teenager sang with a grin, her parents rolling their eyes, Hayley muttering about the 'sass on that girl'. Before she could respond, however, she was cut off by an explosive sneeze, Hope looking more surprised than anyone else.

Her mother was the first to step forward, putting a hand to her forehead to feel Hope's temperature. "Baby are you sick?"

"I wasn't yesterday," Hope whined, coughing slightly.

Hayley hummed in slight annoyance, "uh huh. Wanna tell me what time you slept last night?"

"Late?" She tried, lips quirking in a pitiful attempt at a smile. Her mother was _not_ appeased. Before she could continue though, Klaus stepped in, smoothly undercutting the impending lecture/argument.

"It's likely just a mix of exhaustion and excitement. Nothing some warm tea won't fix," he said, sending a smile Hope's way before turning around to boil some water. Hayley and Hope finding themselves staring in surprise as he quickly and efficiently made a cup of tea and spooned some honey inside before handing the cup over to the teenager.

"Wait, you know like, actual human remedies and all?" Hope blurted as she took the cup. She spluttered at the raised eyebrow her father aimed at her. "I mean - you're like a bajillion years old - _and_ I'm going to shut up now." She squeaked, hiding her face in the cup as she took a small sip, softly humming happily as the liquid slid down her throat, soothing the irritation and warming her inside.

"Well I'm not going to," Hayley interjected. "You've been holding out on me!"

"You do realise I _did_ actually raise Marcellus, correct? And that I did interact with humans on a somewhat regular basis," Klaus remarked, not without amusement. "Children and even adults seem to contract illnesses with alarming frequency."

"Huh, somehow that never really registered, but yeah you did." Hayley agreed. "It's weird but it makes sense." She stopped as something occurred to her, laughter bubbling out of her at the image. "Now I'm imagining you forcing baby Marcel to drink chicken soup and wear like seven layers if it was just a little windy!"

"It was spinach soup and only about five layers, I'll have you know," he retorted with a put upon sniff. The hybrid was forced to grin when his daughter burst into surprised laughter.

"Oh my God, _really_?" She asked between giggles, laughing even harder at his resounding answer of 'yes, really'. "I can't believe I thought Mom was the crazy strict one!"

"So glad we could free you of that particular delusion," Klaus told her, a glint in his eyes. "Now finish your tea before it gets cold and go wear some socks or I won't make you some of the best ice cream you've ever tasted."

Hope gaped, her eyes wide as she asked, "you know how to make _ice cream_?"

"A lovely lady I met a few years ago gave me her personal recipe. Based on the ingredients and her assurances, it's excellent for one's health too, even in the middle of winter."

"But still, _ice cream_?" Hope had every intention of questioning her father further, but the hybrid's pointed look at her still mostly full cup had her focusing on downing the warm liquid as quickly as possible.

"Guess cooking is on the agenda now," Hayley mumbled, a little surprised at the way things were turning.

Klaus hummed, commenting with a straight face, "given that our daughter still requires three nutritional meals a day, I don't see why it was ever taken off in the first place." He winked at Hope when Hayley groaned, tutting disapprovingly as he narrowly caught the mug the brunette threw his way.

"Oh shit," Hayley interrupted before he could continue, "I have to tell Vincent we're back." Klaus wasn't listening, however, ignoring her in favour of stepping forward to cover Hope's ears.

"Language, Hayley!" He admonished. "There's a child present!"

"Dad!" Hope whined. "I'm fifteen, I've heard a lot worse!" She knew it was a lost cause when he arched his eyebrow instead of replying, but it didn't stop her from muttering, "if it was Marcel, you wouldn't have minded so much."

Klaus couldn't help the laugh that burst out of him at that. "Given that I distinctly remember thoroughly washing out Marcel's mouth with soap on the few occasions he swore, I sincerely doubt that. Words are weapons, don't sully them with swears." And although it would have been all too easy to respond with a sarcastic 'yes senpai' or some such similar response, something in the teenager stopped her from doing so. This wasn't some teacher, high on their own importance, this was her _dad_ and it was much harder to dismiss his advice. Settling for a quick nod instead, she allowed the conversation to move ahead, Klaus registering Hayley's words and complaining that Vincent hated him. "I hardly think he'll take my return too well," he reminded her and Hayley's expression soured.

"Right. Maybe you should reconsider your method of dealing with things?"

"And allow my family to be killed in their stead?" Klaus scoffed. "I'd rather suffer the repercussions of Vincent's loathing."

Hayley sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" She snorted at the hybrid's innocent smile. "I _will_ throw a shoe at you, don't think I won't," she threatened before he could say anything. "Fine, I'll keep him off you, but your on your own when it comes to reparations. Understand?"

"Perfectly. Now, if we're quite done here, Hope, I do believe you share my passion for painting…"

* * *

Perhaps it was a little ridiculous to be nervous showing her paintings to her father, but Hope couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered anxiously in her stomach as she presented Klaus with her artwork. What if he didn't like it? Or thought it was childish? Or -

"These are beautiful, Hope." His awe-filled praise burned through the butterflies, warming her far more than the cup of tea she had had earlier. A thrill ran through her as he traced the intricacies of her works, questioning her on her technique and inspirations, listening intently to her answers.

They somehow migrated to his studio without her realising until they were seated at a large table, Klaus rummaging around in the attached cabinet until he found several sheets of unused paper and a few pencils. Almost cautiously, he pointed out a few flaws in her work, showing her different techniques she could employ to improve. She didn't quite notice the brightness in his eyes when she asked him to elaborate, which he did patiently, nor the manner in which his lips quirked when she argued with him over whose technique was better in which situation. She did, however, notice that the warm feeling that had curled inside her ribs and made itself at home never faded for the entirety of the time they spent in her father's studio. Was this what it was like to have him back? God, she really hoped so. Because somehow… somehow everything that she had been through seemed worth it if she just got to keep this.

* * *

 **So I do have a couple things to note here, Hope's sick cos I'm sick and I just want hugs and cuddles.**

 **So, my dad's a lawyer and as a result, he travels a lot. Like, a LOT. So, I've kinda gotten used to not having him around for long periods of time and that makes it more special when he IS around. I'm used to getting in trouble with my mom, it's par for the course now, but with my dad, it's like I've disappointed him when I mess up and that is a HUNDRED times worse than getting yelled at by my mom. I typically tend to take his advice more seriously and it's super important to me to make him proud. So I based Hope's interactions with Klaus on my interactions with my father because that made most sense to me. Most of my interests have in some way or form originated from or have been cultivated by my dad and I wanted to show that with how painting ties Hope and Klaus together with him helping her improve but also taking in and appreciating her interaction with art. (For the record, I know nothing about drawing or art in any way, shape or form and yes, we can blame my dad for that since he didn't inherit any of my grandmother's talent, so rude.)**

 **Oh also, the ice cream part is based on my grandmother lol because yes, she does have a home made ice cream recipe that she is fiercely protective of and is actually healthy cos it's basically milk and sugar but hella delicious and hella useful cos we always make a lot and have a backup for dinner parties XD**

 **Read, review and enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! It's been a minute, hasn't it. Honestly, It'd be a lie to say I'm not slightly clueless on how to continue this. I mean I have an idea of how I want things to end mostly because it's how I wanted the show to end and it's just this one scene of everyone at the dining table, and I mean everyone so including Kol, Davina, Marcel, Bekah, Freya as well as Elijah, and it's a dinner scene where they're all talking and laughing and then the camera pans out through the window and it's just, that's how it ends. That's my cannon ending for the show.** **Anyway, my point was, I'm taking suggestions for how to get to that point, any scenes or anything you want to see, let me know and I'll see what I can do to make it happen :)**

 **This chapter is a little more Hayley-centric but don't worry, Klaus and Hope are still adorably adorable. I hope y'all like this!**

 **Read, review and enjoy guys!**

* * *

Hayley's first priority to inform of their return had always been and would always be Freya, the hybrid calling her as soon as she finished putting away the mugs used for breakfast. The witch, when she answered, looked better than Hayley had ever seen her, skin glowing with a healthy tan and a genuine smile on her lips, not strained like it had become these past few years. It was one that she couldn't help but match. Vacation was a good look on Freya.

An abbreviated version of their trip to Florence and Freya's smile turned watery, the witch insisting that she would be on the next flight back. A few well worded threats had her grudgingly agreeing to extend her vacation a couple more weeks. Personally, Hayley hoped it would be long enough for them both to get their asses into gear because honestly? She had _plans_ and they all revolved around Freya finally putting a ring on it.

"You look different." Freya's voice broke her out of her thoughts, a light blush rising to her cheeks as the witch conjectured what it was about her that was 'different'. "I'd say it was that you're well rested, but we both know some decent O positive would take care of that-" she broke off, mouth hanging open as a possibility occurred to her. "Spill. Who was it?"

"Who was what?"

"You got laid," Freya pronounced, eyes sparkling with mirth. "I know it isn't Declan because if it is, I'll be on the next plane over to personally beat your ass. What other guys have you been around besides Niklaus -" she cut herself off and took a deep breath. "It was Klaus wasn't it?" Biting her lip to hold back her grin, Hayley nodded. " _Finally_! I want details and this had better not be a one time thing or I will hex the both of you. Rebekah owes me a gorgeous pair of heels now," she informed the hybrid gleefully.

"I cannot believe you bet on my love life," Hayley told her. "Those shoes had better be worth it."

"Oh, they _are_."

* * *

Stepping into the Sanctuary, Hayley was immediately greeted by the rush of protective energy Vincent had imbued the building with, a comforting prickling of magic running up her arms and curling around her neck. God, she was proud of what this place had become. Turning her head at the sound of her name, Vincent came into view, the warlock ducking around a couple of kids playing, grinning as he moved toward her.

"It's good to have you back, it's been too quiet without you," he grinned.

"You were _so_ bored, weren't you?" She laughed as he confirmed her suspicions. Things had become easier these past few years, at the very least and they both had welcomed the change of pace. "Well, things are probably about to get louder."

Vincent's grin slipped a fraction. "How so?"

"Well," Hayley began slowly, "Hope's home for the week and we no longer have to worry about the Hollow returning at full power…"

"Ah, Klaus is back, isn't he?" His voice was flat, words coming out as more a statement of fact than a question. "Great, so, what, I'd say we have maybe a week before the world starts ending again?"

"Vincent, that's not fair-" she began protesting before she was cut off.

"What's not fair, Hayley," the warlock interrupted, "is the destruction that follows in his footsteps. I've put too much into this city to watch it burn down on his whims."

"And I haven't? Yes, Klaus's methods leave a lot to be desired, but let's be honest, when has anyone of us bothered listening to the full story before blaming him and putting the responsibility of fixing things on his shoulders?"

"I don't need the full story when he goes off and kills indiscriminately because someone he cares about might be in danger or because he wants to prove a point!" Visibly taking a moment to calm himself down, Vincent inhaled deeply, "look Hayley, you're my friend and I love you and Hope, but every time Klaus Mikaelson comes through this city people die and that is something I cannot and will not let go of. Not even for you."

* * *

"He'll deny it until the end, but one of the best ways to cheer up your Uncle Kol is with a mug of hot chocolate," Klaus informed Hope as he poured milk into a saucepan and shook out a couple spoonfuls of chocolate powder.

"Yeah, Auntie 'Vina keeps telling me how much of a softie he really is," the teen giggled. And - _what_? Klaus had to admit he hadn't expected Kol and Davina to keep much contact. It felt surprisingly… nice, though, that they did, something warming inside him at the thought.

"She isn't wrong," he confirmed. "At any given moment, all you need to do to brighten up his day is smother him with hugs." Then, with a smile, even as he rolled his eyes in pretend annoyance, "now your Aunt Rebekah, she prefers hers with the barest hint of cinnamon and she gets terribly upset if it isn't absolutely perfect. I do believe for her one of the greatest misfortunes of life is a badly prepared mug of hot chocolate. Unfortunate side effect of being the youngest of the family - she had us all half wrapped around her little finger and she knew it." He gave a sigh of fond exasperation before meeting Hope's eyes expectantly. "Remind me how you like yours?"

"With a crazy amount of sugar," she informed him, grinning at the thought. "Guess I'm like Mom that way." And Klaus couldn't help his own smile if he tried.

"Yes, I suppose you are."

* * *

Hope's curiosity regarding her parents was probably the reason she paid their actions so much attention, picking up on things she otherwise may not have noticed. To be completely honest though, it was a little hard _not_ to notice. Her mother had always been reserved in her affections, lavishing it on the few she trusted implicitly, yet constantly remaining just a few feet out of the reach of those she didn't. Hope had seen how long it had taken Declan to break through even the weakest of those invisible barriers her mother had placed around herself. It had taken months before she permitted any sort of touch, even longer before she allowed herself to admit to any feeling. At first, the teenager had figured that it probably had something to do with her Uncle Elijah.

But the choked quality to her mother's voice when referring to him in her stories of their family had long since faded and eventually, Hope had had to concede that he was not what was holding her back. She then figured it was likely to be at least partially because of her. There was _no way_ her mom was letting anyone she didn't trust fully into her life when it involved Hope. It was why she had tried so hard to show that she approved of Declan, giving him some of her paintings and hanging out at the bar. He wasn't a part of her family, not really, but she was willing to try and let him be for her mother's sake.

She had watched for years as her mother refused to let anyone through her walls, refused to let anyone close enough to help. And then she watched as her father walked in and broke through those walls as if they didn't even exist. Couldn't help but notice the number of casual touches her mother allowed him, the way they invaded each other's personal space - her mom smacking his arm freely for any perceived slight, the way her dad stole a sip of her mom's coffee every morning even though Hope _knew_ he hated its taste. She didn't let herself conjecture as to what it meant, didn't want to consider the possibilities… but, well, she was allowed to hope wasn't she?

In between all this though, what the teenager didn't notice, was how her father broke through her own walls. Whether it was dropping light kisses onto her hair or throwing out tips on how she could better her technique while painting, confiding amusing little anecdotes about her uncles and aunts over hot chocolate, he sauntered through her defenses easily, ruffling her hair as he did so. In a single week, her entire world was brought down around her and rebuilt brick by brick, stronger than before.

* * *

Hayley was curled up on a chair outside when Klaus found her, slowly sipping from a glass of wine. "Does it ever bother you how it's always your fault when things go wrong?" she asked when he approached her.

"Am I correct in assuming that Vincent didn't take my return as well as hoped?" he responded instead of answering, seating himself on the arm of the chair next to hers.

"Yeah, you'd be correct in assuming that," Hayley huffed, taking another sip. "I know I said you were on your own when it came to fixing things with him but damn. None of us ever let up on you, huh? Was there anyone besides Cami who ever bothered looking past the bullshit to realise not everything was your fault? Or that you aren't a complete psychopath?"

"Big bad hybrid," he reminded her with a sigh, plucking the wine glass out of her hand and setting it on the table as he spoke, replacing it with the hot chocolate he had brought for her. "Drink up, Hope helped make it to your specifications." A pause and then, not unkindly, "none of you were particularly in the wrong to think so. Besides," he tried for a joke, "who said I wasn't a psychopath?"

"I'm sorry." Klaus started at the whispered words, speechless as he met Hayley's eyes and saw the misery there. "You weren't the easiest to deal with, but neither was I and it wasn't fair to put everything on you always the way we did. It's not fair for Vincent to keep doing that like the rest of us are blameless-" she broke off as Klaus took her free hand in his own, lightly squeezing her fingers.

"Vincent isn't wrong to hate me, Hayley. When it comes to our family, I don't care who I have to kill and I don't make a secret of it." Pressing a kiss to her hair, he added quietly, "I'd do it all over again if I had to, Little Wolf."

"I know. That's what scares me the most."

* * *

 **It always bothered me how Klaus was blamed for everything when literally none of the villains were really that much his fault? Like yeah, he may have worsened the issue but at the end of the day, how many of the villains can be traced back as a direct result of his actions? The witches when they came to New Orleans hated Marcel, Dahlia was because of their mom's bad life choices, Marcel in s3 because he couldn't get over the fact that every conflict in Klaus's life has come down to power imbalances which is why he can't let go of his need for power. Tristan and Lucien technically a result of Elijah (also Lucien's actions were mostly jealousy like ? Get on Klaus's level first you useless turnip!) The Hollow cos of Vincent and fine, Greta can be blamed somewhat on Klaus but come on, lady was a Nazi, can you blame him for that conflict?**

 **Any way, so it bothered me that he takes blame for everything and it's just such a typical thing like oh this happened? It must have been because of him. So this was my small attempt at fixing that. Oh and yeah, Kol and Davina keep in touch cos they aren't complete assholes and Hope needs all the family she can get.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I know, it's been a while. I suck. I also had no clue what to write T^T**

 **I really wasn't kidding when I said I need ideas on how to get to my dream end scene. I think I have an idea of how I want it to go now but let's see. Ideas/Suggestions always welcome. I really hope you guys like this chapter. I worked pretty hard on it and I'm really happy with how it turned out.**

 **Also, I watched and became obsessed with the umbrella academy and honestly, everyone needs to watch this show, it is SO GOOD. Just overall, characterisation, soundtrack, visuals, story, this show has it all. You will not regret watching.**

 **Also, seriously cos I need constant validation and I'm not getting any on this, if any of you are on A03 and into BTS, please check out my bts fics because its hella depressing not getting any comments or anything on them.**

 **Read, review and enjoy, y'all!**

* * *

Grabbing his phone when it buzzed and lit up with a call, displaying Hope's name, Kol grinned as he answered, pressing the phone to his ear. "How's my favourite niece doing?" he asked. It had been far too long since he'd had the opportunity to talk to the young witch and he hadn't realised how much he'd missed it.

"Still your only niece, Uncle Kol," she informed him.

"So you can't be my favourite?" he teased, grin widening at her little huff.

"It's times like this that I wonder why you're my favourite uncle," she told him. The vampire wasn't phased for a second.

"It's because I give you all the fun spells and listen to the school drama without complaining, darling." She had to give him that, he really did put up with a lot of her rants. Still-

"Auntie 'Vina gives better advice, though," she countered. Kol scoffed.

"We both know Davina is my better half. I happen to be your favourite _uncle_. You just have to accept it." He couldn't help his laugh at her annoyed ' _fine_ '. There were a thousand and one problems when it came to his family, but _this_? This was something he'd willingly admit to loving.

She hesitated though, when he asked her to fill him in on what he'd missed out and warning bells started ringing immediately. "Is something wrong, Hope? Do I need to come down to Mystic Falls and break some idiot's face with a baseball bat?" Even over the phone, he could picture her trying to form the words to tell him, but he didn't anticipate what she was about to tell him.

"No, you don't need your baseball bat, it's - it's a good thing. I don't know how exactly, but - but Dad's back, to stay. And that it's safe for him to be in New Orleans again." Barely concealed excitement spilled through the phone as her words sunk in and Kol - he needed a moment to process what he'd heard, sitting down on the nearest flat surface. It happened to be his work desk but he honestly couldn't bring himself to care.

"Nik - your dad - he's back?"

"Yeah, he is! I know mom's already told Aunt Freya, but I wanted to be the one to tell you."

"Hope, could you please put your father on the phone?" Kol was proud of himself for keeping his voice from wavering. His niece, on the other hand, was confused at the lack of an enthused response and that concern was quickly turning into worry.

"Uncle Kol? You don't - you don't think this is a good thing?" Her voice quivered and the vampire cursed.

"Of course I do, darling, I'd just like to speak to my brother," _and wring his neck for not telling me himself as soon as it happened_ , he added silently. He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or cry when Klaus's voice came down the line, pleasantly greeting him as if they spoke every other day. "Nik, you son of a bitch," was what eventually came out and this time, he couldn't quite keep his voice from wavering.

"Now, Kol, that's no way to speak to your brother," the hybrid chided, voice still that strange, unreadable tone of pleasant, but Kol could make out his older brother's footsteps as he moved, presumably to a more private location. So he waited instead of responding and eventually the footsteps stopped and Klaus sighed. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"An explanation as to _how_ would be great, for starters." He knew he sounded cold, but the vampire couldn't bring himself to care. "Why _now_ , would also be a good place to start. I know you, Nik. I know what you're capable of when you want something. And I don't believe it would have taken you this long to figure out a solution, not really."

"The _how_ wasn't that difficult, once I thought about it," Klaus admitted after a long moment. "The essence of our problem is magic, therefore, theoretically, one could siphon from it and channel it towards something else."

"And the why?" His brother was silent and Kol sighed, softening his voice. "Why now, Nik? What happened?"

"Hope was put in danger." the older responded abruptly, voice breaking. "And Hayley - she - she almost died."

" _What_?" Kol blurted out. Although he didn't often want anything to do with his family, the last thing he wanted was for them to lose anyone else. Haltingly, Klaus caught him up on the events of the last few months, glossing over Elijah's actions as best as he could but, like Kol had told him, he knew his brother. He knew how much their elder brother's betrayal and desertion had hurt Klaus. And for the first time in a long time, he wished they weren't so far apart.

"I wanted to thank you," Klaus said suddenly and Kol started.

"What for?"

"Being there for Hope when I wasn't." His voice was soft, completely sincere and filled with a gratitude that the younger had never heard, let alone heard aimed at _him_. Forcing a grin, he informed his brother that "someone had to make sure she turned out reasonably well balanced."

"Be as it may, thank you."

His throat suddenly dry, the vampire swallowed, unsure what to say. "I - it was my pleasure," was what he eventually settled on. "If there's one thing this family's done right, it's Hope."

"I couldn't agree more." And if Klaus' voice cracked a little, they both chose to ignore it.

"And Nik? Since I can't come to New Orleans just yet, I'd really like it if you could come up and meet us when you can."

"As long as your little witch doesn't hex me, I'd love to." His older brother's voice was warm and Kol couldn't help the genuine smile that touched his lips.

"I'll do my best to hold her off."

* * *

A vague memory of Rebekah ranting about the need for privacy had Klaus knocking before he entered Hope's room, the teenager in question sprawled on her bed, eyes glued to her phone. It was the night before she had to go back to Mystic Falls and clothes were strewn about her, covering every available surface except for the suitcase lying open on the floor. She looked up as he walked in, face lighting up as she tossed her phone aside and grinned. "Hey dad!"

"Hello, Hope." Raising an eyebrow as he surveyed her room, "I see you've gotten a head start on your packing."

The teenager groaned and flopped back down on her bed. "Do I really have to go back?"

"I'm afraid so," he told her as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

"But I hate it there!" Hope protested, sitting up again. "Like half the school is afraid of what I can do and - and Aunt Freya can totally teach me what I need to know about magic and control and-"

"Hope," Klaus interjected softly, one hand reaching out to grasp hers, "you can't stay at home your entire life simply because a few imbeciles are afraid of what you're capable of. I do believe my daughter deserves better than that. And," he informed her smiling, "I also believe your Aunt Freya deserves a break after all that we've put her through." He pulled his daughter into a hug, holding her tight as he spoke, voice low. "I'd much rather you stay here too, my littlest wolf. But Caroline can give you what you deserve in that school of hers, can teach you what I can't. And as much as I wish to, I can't say your mother was wrong in sending you there."

"I know," she mumbled into his shoulder. "But I still hate leaving." Klaus laughed at that, loud and warm, before drawing back and reaching into his pocket to pull out a small velvet pouch that he gave to her.

"Well, in that case, I suppose I can give you your present a little early." Opening it, she found a small charm inside, shaped in the form of a wolf in motion. She could almost imagine it shaking its head as it ran, howling at the moon.

"Dad! It's beautiful!" She gasped, immediately attaching it to the bracelet she had worn ever since her father sent it to her. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Hope. I want you to remember that every part of you is special, no matter what anyone says," he told her softly, his voice heavy with emotion. "That you'll do wonderful, amazing things because of who _you_ are and nothing can ever take that away from you. And no matter what, whenever you need me, I'm just a phone call away."

Hope wouldn't admit to the tears that lined her eyes at his words, but she did launch herself at her father to wrap her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks, Dad. I love you."

* * *

"Oh, I'm gonna miss you so much!" Hayley exclaimed as she pulled her daughter in for a hug. They were due to leave for Mystic Falls in a few hours and, somehow, it was just sinking in that she wouldn't see Hope again for months.

"So why can't I stay?" The teenager whined, aiming a hopeful pout at her mother.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure your dad told you why already, kiddo."

" _Yeah_ , but we both know who _really_ makes the decisions," she tried and Hayley burst into laughter.

"Nice try baby, now pack that last bag of yours that I know you haven't bothered doing yet. If you hurry, we might be able to make you a batch of cookies to take with you." Food based bribery didn't always work, but chocolate chip cookies were sure to get _some_ reaction and, like always, they didn't disappoint as the teenager perked up immediately, rushing around the room to finish her packing.

Hayley laughed and left her to it, making her way downstairs to the kitchen to gather the ingredients necessary. Klaus was already waiting for her with a disgustingly sweet mug of coffee that he pushed into her hands as soon as she entered. Sending him a grateful look, she downed half the contents in one go.

"No matter how many times I do it, it's still so hard to watch her go," the brunette quietly confided in him, her gaze fixed upon the contents of the mug in her hand.

"I'd be worried if it was easy," he informed her, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. "But it's for the best and I doubt if there's anyone who's more capable of running a school than Caroline."

"I know. I just… hate this part." His hand found its way to hers, squeezing a little in commiseration and Hayley sighed heavily before forcing a smile to her lips. "Ok! Come on, we have cookies to bake and a teenager to take to school and not a lot of time to do it in!" Another squeeze and Klaus released her hand, moving efficiently around the kitchen to gather the ingredients. Biting her lip, Hayley swallowed past the lump in her throat and got to work.

The teenager in question raced into the kitchen fifteen minutes later, ducking past her father's attempt to ruffle her hair and sticking her tongue out at Hayley when her mother teased her for being so slow. They argued over eating the leftover batter and Hope definitely burned her tongue by biting into a cookie fresh out of the oven, but it was a memory she would pull out as she watched her parents drive away from the school gate several hours later and again, at night, when she stared up at the ceiling of her dorm room and wishing it was a different ceiling she was looking at.

* * *

 **Kol really snuck up on me, I wasn't expecting that segment to turn out the way it did, nor to be the main bulk of the chapter, but like I said, I'm really happy with how it turned out and I really hope to have more Kol and eventually bring in Rebekah and Marcel and all because dammit they're all family and deserve to be happy! Which, yes, I know, is kinda ironic with how I'm hoping to have broken all your hearts with that last sentence but come on, tragedies are for suckers, I only want happy endings. Also, I know its kinda ridiculous for Hayley to be like I hate watching her go when she's had Hope almost her entire life, but her emotions are still valid, so yeah. Well, let me know what you think! And thanks for waiting on me so long, I hope to have my shit together for the next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Heyy! Bet y'all didn't expect to see me back again so soon! And I probably won't make a habit of it, so don't keep your hopes too high! Especially cos I'm procrastinated on two assignments to write this. But what can I say, when the muse is motivated, it's motivated.**

 **Anyway, a couple things. Firstly, I don't watch Legacies. I have no intention of watching Legacies as of right now and I doubt I will in the future as long as Plec is in charge. I simply can't trust her to give me a good story and consistent characters. I did look into the direction the show was going and, in all honesty, it did not seem very appealing. Hope is, as expected, a loner/outcast and treated accordingly. The twins are apparently the same age as her, which makes no sense because they should be two years younger based on the shows' timeline (yes I was one of those annoying people who kept in touch with both the vamp diaries and the originals respective timelines) and on top of that, both twins seem kinda psycho? Like seriously, very much in need of therapy? But I could be wrong in my impressions. I just wanted y'all to note that I don't really care what Legacies is doing, in my fic, Caroline is a responsible headmistress and mom.**

 **Moving on, Marcel hijacked this chapter. I know I've spoken about my feelings on his character in other fics, but I'll probably discuss it a little bit more at the end of the chapter. There isn't much Hayley this chapter and I'm sorry about that, but hopefully she'll be more prominent in the next chapter! Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave a review because I need those like I need air and also, where else do you think I'm getting my inspiration from?**

 **Read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

"What's the world coming to when you can't even expect your own family to tell you when they're in town?" Klaus rolled his eyes as his adopted son's voice rang out through the courtyard, taking another sip of his coffee and silently thanking whichever deity it was that had him spike it with blood. "Seriously man," Marcel continued as he walked in, "I gotta hear from _Vincent_ that you're back?"

"To be fair, I was a little preoccupied with spending time with my daughter," Klaus rebutted lazily. "You know, the one I've been separated from for _years_?"

He had a point, but - "you know, there _is_ this amazing little thing called a phone," the vampire remarked sagely. "You might have heard of it."

"And pray tell, would you have picked up if I _had_ called?" Marcel shrugged and Klaus smirked at the younger's quick ' _maybe_ ' before continuing pleasantly. "Besides, I'd have thought myself to be the last person you'd wish to speak to at any given point."

"Not the _last_ person, pretty sure that position's currently reserved for Elijah," he corrected, making a face as he thought over it. "But it'd have been nice to have been given the option. Or a heads up at the very least."

"Now, where would the fun be in that?" Klaus asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling innocently, and Marcel wondered offhandedly what it would do to their tentative truce if he punched the hybrid in his face. He figured it would be amusing at the very least.

Unfortunately, before he was able to test it out, they were interrupted by the loud clicking of heels on stone, Hayley walking into the courtyard with a margherita in hand, glaring at both men from over the rim of her sunglasses. "Once you both are done," she began, seating herself on a chair as she spoke, "I think we have slightly more important things to worry about."

"Such as?" Klaus pressed for her to elaborate.

"Well, for one, I don't want to be cooped up in here when I could pretend to be getting drunk at a bar instead and maybe even distract myself enough so that I'll stop missing my daughter so much." She paused to sip at her margarita delicately, taking a moment to enjoy the looks of incredulity she was faced with. "Oh and then there's also the small fact that Vincent thinks some of those sad excuses for vampires might still be in town and spreading their elitist bullshit, but, you know," she paused to smile up at them, "only _slightly_ more important things than the two of you going at each other."

* * *

Waking up in her dorm room, it almost felt as if the past week was a dream. But the new charm on her bracelet was warm against Hope's skin and she could easily smell the cookies they'd made from where they sat on her desk and, all at once, the thought of school seemed much more bearable than it did before. Forcing herself to get up and get ready, she laughed as she checked her phone to find a picture from her mom of her dad holding a plate of pancakes and looking lost, because according to the caption, he'd made them for her 'on autopilot'.

Stuffing a cookie into her mouth as she grabbed her backpack and ran out the door, Hope felt like she was floating. Shooting a grin at her classmates and even calling out a greeting to some as she passed them on her way to class, she ignored their looks of confusion, far too caught up in her own exuberance.

" _Was that_ _ **Hope Mikaelson**_ _?"_

" _Is she_ _ **ok**_ _?"_

" _I think it's to do with why she wasn't here last week…"_

" _I didn't even know she could_ _ **do**_ _happy…"_

Whispers floated past her, following her to class and the young witch was well aware of the fact that the gossip mills were churning with her name, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Even Lizzie Saltzman's snide question of what was wrong with her wasn't able to bring down her mood any. Instead, she smiled sweetly at the other teen in a way she _knew_ would set the witch's blood boiling and replied with a bright 'nothing'. She figured she was successful when she caught the glare Lizzie sent her way. Yes, today was a good day.

* * *

"Ok, so I probably wouldn't have picked up." They were sitting in a bar, waiting for Hayley to finish talking to Vincent when Marcel spoke up. "You know, earlier?" The hybrid simply raised an eyebrow, humming questioningly as he took a sip of his drink and waited for the younger to elaborate, the vampire groaning at how he was being deliberately obtuse. "Fine. I'll be the bigger man about it and, I'll admit, even if you _had_ called, I probably wouldn't have picked up."

"And yet, you still would have preferred for me to have called."

"Yes." The word was out before he could stop it and Marcel frowned. " _No_. I don't care either way, man. I was just saying, earlier, that it would have been _nice_." Klaus just looked at him without saying anything and somehow his gaze seemed a little too piercing, the younger looking away and mumbling into his glass, " _whatever_. When does Hayley get back from wherever she and Vincent have disappeared to?" Klaus shrugged, that entirely too perceptive look still in his eyes and Marcel had had enough of it, deciding to remove them as far from the subject as possible. "How'd you get rid of the Hollow, anyway? I thought Freya couldn't find anything."

The hybrid blinked, his grip on his glass tightening almost imperceptibly as he took another sip. "She didn't. I'd forgotten how witches love to complicate things unnecessarily." He shook his head slightly, thinking it over. "Then again, it isn't as if any of the witches here would have been truly helpful in any case."

"Still doesn't answer the how," Marcel pointed out and Klaus chuckled.

"No, I don't suppose it does." He paused and Marcel revisited the pros and cons of punching the hybrid. Before he could force anything resembling an actual answer out of the other, Klaus stood, draining what was left of his drink. "Hayley's back, let's go." Before he could follow suit, he was stopped by the hybrid's hand coming to rest on his shoulder for the briefest of moments, his voice barely audible in the noise of the bar. "And Marcel? I should have called."

* * *

Getting out of class to find a missed call from Marcel, Hope hadn't realised her mood could improve any further. Calling him back, she couldn't help the way her lips quirked up into a grin as she quickly made her way to a more secluded part of campus and casually flipped the bird at a few classmates who were staring and obviously gossiping.

"Hey kiddo, it's been a while." Marcel's voice filtered through the receiver, smooth as always and that little part of her that always tensed up at having to interact with her classmates calmed as it always did when she was able to speak to her older brother.

"Yeah, it has been," she breathed out, settling down among the roots of a tree near the edge of campus. "How've you been, how's Aunt 'Bekah?"

"Me, I've been good, but, uh, Rebekah and I…" there was an awkward pause as the vampire grappled for words. "Well, she and I aren't really together anymore. Haven't been for a while now."

"Wait, really? Since when?"

"Um, since before your last visit to New Orleans, I guess." He clicked his tongue then, swiftly changing the topic. "Speaking of which, why didn't you tell me when you came last week?"

Hope recognised the conversation shift for what it was, but unfortunately, her brother did have a point. "Are you kidding me? After my last visit home went so disastrously? I just figured staying low key would be better. Besides," she frowned, figuring she could probably bullshit her way through a better excuse, "I didn't even know you were in town."

"I wasn't," Marcel told her easily. "But I would've _considered_ stopping by. It's been a while since I've seen Hayley. Might've even said hi to you on my way out," he teased as Hope yelled in indignation.

"You're _so_ lucky I didn't get time to ask Dad for more blackmail material on you!"

"Woah, woah, woah," the older gasped dramatically. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. _But_ ," he drew out the word, feigning a casual tone, "out of curiosity, what blackmail material _did_ you get out of him?"

"Well," Hope began, "let's just say I have a very vivid image of you as this adorable little kid in like, seven layers of clothing, being force fed spinach soup."

"It was _five_ layers," the vampire corrected with a laugh. "Get your facts straight. And besides, that's _nothing_ compared to what I have on you."

"Oh, I know," she replied assuredly. "I'm just getting started. I'm gonna have so much dirt on you, I won't even know what to do with it," she threatened.

"Guess I'd better start being nice to you then," Marcel teased and Hope grinned happily.

"Yeah, I guess you should."

* * *

 **Me again! So, I'm not gonna lie, especially after watching the Umbrella Academy, writing sibling scenes is a lot of fun. I really hope I did Marcel and Hope justice so do let me know what y'all thought about that! But besides that, I wanted to talk a bit about Marcel. OK, rant. Sue me. So Marcel is an interesting guy, but his character arcs are very cyclical and, with the exception of season 1 with Davina, often very selfish. It's literally "I hate Klaus, I don't hate Klaus." Beyond that it's often very difficult for me to see much growth. It's interesting to me how he canonically sees Hope as something of a little sister, every now and then goes to Klaus to find comfort/get advice almost like he is his dad and yet stills claims to not be a part of the family. It's almost childlike, as if he's a teenager who wants attention but doesn't know how to go about it.**

 **His standards for Klaus are ridiculous, demanding he change at a rate that is simply not possible and yet also very much refusing to believe he is capable of that change, kind of like how a teenager would treat a parent, yelling at them when they don't understand why the teen is upset but at the same time complaining to their friends, oh my parent is never gonna get it. This really stood out to me when they showed pre series how Marcel and Rebekah were getting together and they were like, Oh Klaus is never gonna let us stay together, when after some time Klaus does actually give his blessing. Then in season 3 when Klaus was going around literally doing everything right and doing his best to make sure the family stayed together, Marcel blamed him for everything that went wrong in a manner that didn't make sense to me. There is a great deal of respect** **I think from both parties, respect from Klaus for the man Marcel became and from Marcel for all that Klaus represents for him. Because even with the trauma and whatnot, there was still a lot of love and acceptance for Marcel and I think somewhere deep down Marcel knows that even if he doesn't want to accept or recognise it. Does he want acknowledgement of his trauma? I think so. He often referred to feeling left out and as if he wasn't really part of the family, when he was more part of it than certain members like Kol but that's a discussion for another day. I think he's afraid of admitting that maybe his view is prejudiced because it means accepting the fact that Klaus doesn't hold as much blame as he would like for him to but I also feel like that is rather typical of a parent/child relationship but right now both need to learn to see the other as an equal first.**

 **Sorry, this got really long but it felt important to say it. If you got through all that, thanks and drop a review telling me your thoughts/what you wanna see next!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey y'all. This is a 4am drop for me so seriously, if there are issues, I apologise in advance.**

 **So a couple things, Kol hijacked this chapter. Very rude, I know, but what can you do. I do think it's primarily Klayley though, a couple whom I still can't stop writing as an old married couple so that's always fun. Also, I wrote most of this chapter listening to Kane Brown so like, go listen to him.**

 **Anyway, read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

Klaus would be the first to admit that he didn't often get along with his siblings and that he was used to being at odds with them and yet - he couldn't help the warmth that filled him when they got along. Couldn't help the thrill that ran through him whenever he saw his phone light up with Kol's name as his younger brother reached out to him and they slowly rebuilt their relationship. They started small, short texts asking about the other's day, a joke they found amusing, confirmation about a particular spell. Klaus wasn't quite sure who called who first - Kol maintains it was him while the hybrid insists that given that his phone rang for all of two seconds before Kol hung up, it shouldn't count - but it became natural to have his brother's smooth tones on the other end of the line, commenting on everything and nothing at all, describing some of his more explosive experiments with glee and chattering happily about his wife. Klaus and Davina may have been at odds for most of their shared time in the city but all of that faded away whenever the vampire would mention her, the happiness in his voice being far more important to Klaus than old rivalries.

Today, though, he was painting when Kol facetimed him and, therefore, completely unprepared for the frantic quality of his younger brother's voice when he answered. Barely able to make head or tail of the jumble of words that met him, the hybrid blinked dumbly before telling the other to calm down and repeat himself.

"Davina wants to adopt." The words tumbled out in a rush, Kol raising trembling hands to his mouth as if by doing so he would be able to take back what he had said.

"I suppose, judging by your reaction, that I'd be correct in assuming that you don't," Klaus sighed, setting down the phone to rest against his easel and picking up his paintbrush again.

" _Yes_ , Nik, you'd be correct in assuming that, now tell me what I'm supposed to do!" Kol ran a hand through his already messy hair, frustration written into every movement.

"Why don't you want to adopt," the hybrid asked instead as he resumed painting, covering his canvas in broad brush strokes. His lips twitched in amusement as the vampire groaned loudly, shoulders slumping.

"Why do you think? Should I start with the fantastic example set by Mikael? Or how about our Mother? Or maybe even my five minutes of dealing with Marcel when he was a child? Oh wait," he exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "those were all unmitigated disasters!"

"They were, weren't they," Klaus mused. "But, then again, you're forgetting Hope."

"What about Hope?" Kol asked, confused.

"Granted, you may not have had very much to do with her upbringing, but you have yet to traumatize my daughter. Also, despite what I tell Hayley, the Shakespeare plays you gave Hope were a good touch."

"You told me they were inappropriate." His brother's voice was flat and Klaus laughed delightedly.

"Oh, they were," he informed the vampire. "Few twelve year olds are expected to understand, let alone appreciate ' _The Tempest_ '."

"And what part of that tells you I'm ready for raising a child of my own, Nik? Please, explain to me your thought process," Kol demanded, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Because all I'm hearing is a blaring alarm screaming that I'd be a terrible father and how I'm in no way ready for this."

The hybrid set down his paintbrush and picked up his phone to meet his brother's eyes, voice serious as he spoke. "No one is ready for raising a child, Kol. I certainly wasn't. Not with Marcellus, not with Hope. And I suggest that if you don't feel up to the task, you might want to inform your wife. Because once you bring a child into your life, there is nothing and no one more important."

"She really wants this, Nik," Kol whispered, almost pleading, and there was little Klaus wouldn't have given in that moment to be able to have his brother in front of him.

"But you don't," he confirmed with a sigh and the vampire bit his lip.

"I-" he swallowed harshly before admitting, "I'm scared."

"As well you should be. But," he grinned, "you do have a wonderful older brother who's willing to help however he can."

"Really? Where?" Kol teased as the hybrid rolled his eyes. Yeah, they'd be alright.

* * *

For all that things had calmed down in New Orleans, Hayley had to admit, it remained a busy city. There was always something or the other happening, and she often found herself in the Sanctuary with Vincent or the bayou with the pack and, truth be told, she loved it. She wasn't made for sitting idly and, when it wasn't life threatening, she embraced the tasks that came her way.

She was at the Sanctuary when Klaus found her, boyish grin on his face as he informed her he planned on stealing her for the day. There was an innocence to his happiness she had never seen before and it made her wish for once that she wasn't so busy.

Before she could say anything though, Vincent interjected, "I know it must come as a surprise to you, Klaus, but most people have these things called commitments and responsibilities."

"And somehow, I expected Hayley to speak for herself," the hybrid retorted turning to the brunette expectantly.

But Hayley met his gaze apologetically, "I'm sorry but Vincent's right. We do need to get this finished as soon as possible."

"And I suppose whatever it is, it has to be today?" Even though his voice was quiet, devoid of emotion, she could tell he was upset. She could see it on his face, written in the hard set of his jaw, in the way that innocent happiness had been wiped clear off. But her hands were tied and she told him so. A curt nod and he was walking away and something heavy settled into the bottom of her stomach, telling her she'd messed up.

She was able to stamp it down for the rest of the day, but it returned with a vengeance when she came back home that night. The she-wolf found a plate of sandwiches in the kitchen but no Klaus and figured she was getting spoilt for half expecting the hybrid to be waiting there for her with a kiss and a grin and maybe an insult for Vincent.

Grabbing two sandwiches, she decided she'd go find him this time, sighing happily as she bit into one of the sandwiches. While Hayley was a decent enough cook, it was by no means something she particularly enjoyed. Klaus, on the other hand, was damn good at cooking and had a tendency to show off, something she was secretly grateful for as it led to some interesting dishes. She may not _have_ to eat anymore, but that never stopped her from enjoying his cooking.

Speaking of whom, she found the hybrid in his studio, painting. "Hey, you," she called out, Klaus turning as she entered and Hayley caught a glimpse of blue before the canvas was hidden behind him again and she wondered what he was painting before discarding the thought. He'd show her when he was ready. "Brought you a sandwich," she held it out to him and the shadow of a smile tugged at his lips, some of the clouds clearing from his eyes for a moment before he shook his head.

"I already ate," he told her, a hint of humour to it as he tilted his head, indicating to a wine glass on the table next to him, still half filled with blood.

Biting her lip, Hayley nodded. "So join me when you're done?" Klaus hummed noncommittally, absently pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth before turning back to his canvas.

She turned to leave and, just as she reached the door, Klaus spoke, his words leaving her feeling as if the floor had been yanked out from under her feet. "What is this, Hayley?"

"What do you mean?" she managed eventually. He still wasn't looking at her.

"Nothing, nevermind."

He didn't come to bed that night.

* * *

"Ok, what did I do?" Maybe barging into Klaus's studio to confront him wasn't the best idea, but he had kept himself cooped up inside for the past three days and she couldn't ignore the way he was distancing himself from her anymore. Besides, she missed her morning kisses. They were obviously the best part of her day and going without them was getting to her. "Was it something I said," she continued when he didn't reply, didn't even get up from his stool, just met her gaze evenly. "Klaus, you need to talk to me or we'll never get anywhere."

A bitter laugh fell from his lips. "That's a rather interesting statement, coming from you," he said, his eyes piercing and angry and she reeled as his words sunk in.

"What the hell does that mean, ' _coming from me_ '?"

"Well, it's rather hypocritical, isn't it, considering I haven't the faintest idea what you're doing with Vincent day in and day out," he snapped and Hayley had had enough.

"Last time I checked, you were never in charge of who I met with or what I do!"

He finally rose from his stool, hands clenched into fists by his side. "No, but as your partner, I assumed I was allowed an interest in your activities. My mistake." Klaus began to leave, pausing only to press a kiss to her cheek, his touch heavy on her arm, barely restrained anger etched into the set of his shoulders.

She caught his hand as it fell from her arm, struggling to give voice to the emotions sticking in her throat. "I didn't mean to make you feel that way," she managed eventually and Klaus sighed.

"And yet, somehow, here we are." All that rage had turned to sorrow and her grip loosened immediately because that? That was so much worse and she had no idea how to even begin to respond. She could feel his gaze still on her until he nodded once, swallowing harshly as he turned and walked away and she let him.

Sinking down on the nearest flat surface in the studio, trying to get her emotions under control, she was drawn inadvertently to the unfinished painting that was resting on the easel in front of her. A study in blue and red, there was no obvious design that she could see, but the movement of the colours was clear even to her untrained eye. Ducking and weaving throughout the canvas, they met in clashes and collisions, forming beautiful whorls and unending patterns that almost flew off the canvas.

There was something about the painting that intensified the heavy feeling inside her and she knew she couldn't leave things with Klaus the way they were. Hayley took her phone out as she got up and left the room, the beginnings of a plan forming. She had a couple phone calls to make.

* * *

Klaus wasn't sure what he was expecting when he returned home later that evening, but it certainly wasn't the scene he was faced with. Hayley had transformed the courtyard entirely. The table and chairs had been pushed back, fairy lights twisted around the banisters, delicately swaying over the archway as soft music weaved through the air. Hayley was standing in the middle of the courtyard, biting her lip before stepping forward towards him, her hands coming up to grip his own as she leaned forward, softly kissing him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered against his lips. "I should've been there for you."

"And I should've talked to you." But he was smiling, fingers gently squeezing her own as he embraced her and Hayley felt better than she had in days, any remaining tension flowing away from her. Then Klaus grinned, pulling away slightly to motion towards the fairy lights. "What, did we run out of candles?"

Haley gasped theatrically and lightly smacked his arm before laughing. "Honestly? I was just afraid I'd burn the house down if I used candles."

"And what a shame that would be," the hybrid chuckled.

"Ass." But there was no heat behind the insult, Hayley threading their fingers together and sitting them both down on the sheet she had spread over the floor that Klaus had yet to notice, pulling a picnic basket out of seemingly nowhere. "I talked to Kol," she explained at his wondering look. "He said you'd planned a picnic for me."

"I thought you'd like it," he said simply.

"I would've loved it," was the quiet response, an apologetic smile tugging at her lips. She didn't allow herself to dwell on what might have been for too long, though, turning to the basket and pulling out a container of lasagna and a bottle of wine. "It's no five star dinner, I know, but…" she trailed off at the look on Klaus's face. "What?"

"I love you." He said it with a reverence that left her gaping.

" _What_?"

"I love you." It was said simply, and with a smile that he couldn't seem to hold back and Hayley found herself moving forward without realising it, a torrent of emotions coursing through her as she pulled the hybrid into a kiss.

" _I love you too_ ," she gasped when they pulled apart and he grinned that same boyish grin he'd worn that day in the Sanctuary, pulling her into a softer, no less passionate kiss. "You do know the food's getting cold," she couldn't help herself from remarking when they pulled apart again and Klaus roared with laughter.

* * *

Kol, Klaus was finding, made it a habit to call at the most inopportune times and, without the decency of prior notice. This time, the vampire called while he was in the middle of preparing dinner. He decided not to hold it against him when he answered the video call and realised that his younger brother looked to be seconds away from bouncing off the walls in excitement, a stark contrast to their conversation about three weeks ago.

"Davina and I went to the adoption agency today," he informed Klaus, not bothering with the typical formalities of greetings. It was another habit of his, the hybrid had found, and one he usually teased him for. This time though, face with Kol's exuberance, he couldn't bring himself to care, laughing as he told him to continue and went back to chopping vegetables. The younger took his cue and proceeded, telling Klaus of the large yard he and Davina had been led to, and the boy curled up high on a tree branch that had immediately caught his eye.

"What was he like?"

"Quiet," Kol said thoughtfully. "But I'm not sure if that was by choice or not. He has a stutter," the vampire explained.

"Oh?" Klaus remarked, raising an eyebrow as if to say ' _elaborate please_ '.

"According to the case worker, he's had it ever since he arrived. But he's so incredibly intelligent, Nik. It's so obvious and he has so much potential, I just -" he broke off, taking a deep, steadying breath. "He was wonderful, Nik. I wish you could have met him."

"And if you do adopt him, I should be glad to do so," the elder told him warmly, smiling, And something in Kol calmed at his words, a warm feeling settling comfortably within him as a genuine smile touched his lips and he continued telling his brother of the little boy that had captured his heart.

* * *

 **Hiya! So a couple more things, I headcannon that Davina, after the childhood she's had, would probably go into some sort of social welfare as a job. Also, that would extend to wanting to adopt a kid rather than have one of her own through surrogacy. The kid is lowkey based off Diego from Umbrella Academy and I'm half in love with a figment of my own imagination, send help lol.**

 **Also, yes, Klaus and Kol are mending their relationship, it's about damn time that they do. With Klaus and Hayley, well we can lowkey blame that on Kane Brown's songs which are all wonderful and inspiring and fantastic background music. Relationships are complicated and people make mistakes and Klaus keeps kissing Hayley even when he's pissed as that thing older/married couples do as a reminder that even though they're fighting right now, they still love each other and he's already lost too many people to let anyone else go without that reminder. Also, I been reading a couple books with married couples and Kane Brown's song 'Work' and 'Live Forever' really got to me. That said, let me know what you think, if this was ok, if it was realistic, if it wasn't.**

 **For those wondering, Hope will probably make an appearance next chapter :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay but its the end of semester which means exams and assignments. Some of which are horrible and some of which I actually enjoyed. Seriously, peaking on an essay you've written in your first year of uni isn't really something you wanna do, but this essay deserved it. (It was on the Chronicles of Narnia and it never fails to amaze me how as I've progressed in years, I've apparently regressed in reading material.) Anyway, it meant I couldn't really return to this and even now, I'm procrastinating studying for an exam but hey, this is not an exam I have very high hopes for either which way so I do NOT feel half as guilty as I should. Still, pray for me, please!**

 **So this chapter was full out hijacked by Marcel. Very rude but hey, I'll take anything that moves me closer to my end visual. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I hope y'all are too. Let me know what you think! And, as always, read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

When does love turn into obsession? Better yet, when does it become simply pathetic to chase after the woman who broke your heart because she either refused to or just simply _couldn't_ see past her own hangups?

It was questions like these that plagued Marcel every time he picked up his phone and found himself dialing her number. Sometimes, he stopped himself, thumb hesitating a hair's breadth away from his touch screen before he'd close the app and put his phone away. Days like today, he'd give in and take the final step, calling her and listen to a dial tone that was never answered. The recording for her voicemail started and he cursed silently at the way his eyes slid shut of their own accord, hated himself for the way he drank in the sound of her voice, for how he wished, after everything, that she was right there in front of him. His other hand curled around the tumbler on the table in front of him, thumb brushing away the moisture that glistened on the glass and as the message ended, he inhaled deeply, savouring the oxygen he no longer needed. "I don't know why I even bother doing this anymore, it's not as if you're ever going to answer - hell, I don't even know if you bother listening to these." He scoffed, taking a sip of the amber liquid, enjoying the slight burn as it slid down his throat. "Do you know how much it _sucks_ that Hope was more invested in us than you were? It's been weeks since I told her - thanks for that, by the way. I totally could have done without ever having that conversation. Anyway, it's been weeks since I told her and she still hasn't let up on me. At least it's nice to know I'm not the only one you're ghosting. Still, she deserves better than that and you know it. At least she's got her dad back now." The vampire sighed, cutting himself off. This was pathetic enough without adding rambling to the list. "I hope you find what you're looking for Rebekah, even if it isn't me," he ended as always, throwing his phone onto the table and draining the remnants of his drink. A broken chuckle escaped his lips. Mikaelsons. They'd either be his death or his salvation and three hundred years in, he was still figuring which it'd be.

* * *

Now, while it would certainly make her life easier, Hope Mikaelson had absolutely no intention of playing nice with Lizzie Saltzman. It didn't matter how much she liked Josie or how much her counselor told her this rivalry was ridiculous, she _knew_ it was ridiculous. But she also knew that she was _not_ going to be the one to back down first. Lizzie seemed to be of the same mind, taking every opportunity she could to antagonize Hope. To the school's endless chagrin, this typically resulted in the wanton destruction of classrooms, but really, it was a school filled entirely with magical teenagers. What did they _expect_?

Case in point though, it was the third time Lizzie had made a snide remark about the tribrid's inability to master the spell they were practicing today and, despite Josie's best efforts to mediate, the teenager was done putting up with it. It took only a moment for her to decide how to retaliate and she didn't hold back the smug grin that found its way to her lips as the contents of Lizzie's cauldron exploded in her face. _That_ , at least, was a spell she _had_ mastered and she sent a silent thank you to her uncle for it. She was sure he'd be proud of her handiwork.

"I'm sorry, you were saying?" she found herself asking sweetly and, beside her, Josie sighed, the sound nearly inaudible under her twin's shriek of rage. She was prepared for the way the other teen flipped the table; she'd have done it too in her place, considering it was the only thing separating them. She wasn't, however, completely prepared for the small barrage of spells Lizzie sent her way, covering her face with her arm as she braced for the impact. Before they reached her though, a golden shield sprang into existence around her, sparking where the spells hit, but never faltering. On the other side, Lizzie spat insults, but she ignored them, turning to Josie who was near enough to her to also be caught under the shield and breathing a quiet _thanks_.

The siphoner shook her head jerkily, biting her lip. " _This isn't me_ ," she whispered, her gaze dropping, Hope following it until they reached her bracelet. The silver wolf was glowing, hotter than it should have been against her skin and she could almost have sworn its mouth was twisted into a snarl but that - that _couldn't_ be possible. She met Josie's gaze as the shield glimmered once more before disappearing, the other nodding slightly, a silent agreement not to tell anyone until Hope figured it out. More specifically, until she called her dad to demand answers, but she figured Josie, who was currently stalking towards her sister and pulling her outside to cool off, didn't need to know that.

Figuring now was as good a time as any, she swiped her bag from the floor and slipped out in the confusion, making her way to her dorm in a bid for privacy. Her father answered the phone almost immediately, quiet delight in his questioning, "Hope?"

"Hey, Dad. Wanna tell me why a whole shield popped out of nowhere around me today? Or would you like to start with why you gave me a spelled charm in the first place?"

"I don't know, Hope," he replied, amused. "Would _you_ like to tell me why you're getting into fights at school?"

"How do you know I'm getting into fights?"

Her father waved aside her indignation with a simple, "I sincerely doubt Caroline would let anything that meant her students harm within a mile of the grounds. _So_?" There was a command in that word, well hidden as it was, and Hope found herself responding without fully meaning to.

" _Fine_. It was Lizzie Saltzman. We… we don't really get along," she mumbled.

"And naturally, your solution is to turn your school into a battleground." Hope bristled at the assumption, about to speak up in defense of herself before a sigh came down through the line. "To answer your earlier question, _yes_ , I had that charm spelled with defensive spells and _no_ , you can't remove them yourself, I've already seen to that. It's a last defense mechanism, it won't be triggered without reason."

"So you don't trust me to be able to take care of myself," the teenager concluded, not bothering to hide the hurt she felt.

"Of course I trust you, Hope," her father soothed. "But I've been taking care of my family for a thousand years. Your safety is not something I ever intend to leave up to mere chance."

"Then why didn't you just _tell_ me?"

"Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't have immediately tried to figure out how it worked and then how to stop it?" She could imagine the unamused look he'd be giving her if they were face to face and had to concede he had a point.

" _Fine_ ," she groaned. "But next time, let me know in advance please? I promise I won't be an idiot about it."

"Of course," he agreed, and Hope wondered when the novelty of having someone around who cared enough to do things like this would wear off. As she settled comfortably on her bed to fill her father in on the rest of her day, she hoped it never would.

* * *

Marcel hadn't meant to stay in New Orleans, not really. At first, it seemed to make sense that he should. After all, Klaus was back and Marcel had felt compelled to stay since they had needed to make sure none of Greta's vampires remained and he felt at least partially responsible for the supremacist ideology they'd all held faith in. But then, as the days passed by and he couldn't bring himself to leave, he couldn't quite keep up the charade anymore, not to himself at least. He stayed because he wasn't entirely certain where else to go and… he stayed because it was the one place Rebekah couldn't come to. It seemed fitting in that moment, that even if she somehow wanted to see him, she wouldn't be able to. It was the only way he had of punishing her, even to himself. It was better than the alternative - admitting that maybe it was time after all these years to let her go.

Heartbreak aside, it was… strange, spending time with Klaus that didn't place them both in the middle of a war zone. He'd forgotten how it could be, forgotten the way the hybrid amused himself with the simple pleasures that the city had to offer him, the way he immersed himself in art and culture, more alive in those small moments that he spent gazing at artworks than he had ever been while ripping out his enemies' throats. Marcel found himself dragged out to spend his days wandering through galleries with his once father, found himself attending plays or sitting outside small coffee shops, just gazing at the city around him and taking in the sights. He found himself going to Klaus of his own volition, to show him another remembered corner of New Orleans that he hadn't visited in centuries, even pulling out the hybrid when he retreated into his studio for days. He found himself falling in love with the city all over again, not for the power it had once offered him, but for the small pearls of life that he had found, tucked into the wisps of music that curled around him in the streets, for the chalk on the pavement that formed such lovely pictures and were washed away so easily. He fell in love with the coffee, with the way the the streets were lit up at night, with the way the bayou smelled after it rained.

Not even once in the past seven years that he'd spent with Rebekah, had Marcel slowed down the way he had right now, hadn't allowed himself to stop and simply _appreciate_ his surroundings, too caught up in experiencing the world by her side however he could. And… he regretted it. He wouldn't give up his time with her for anything, but… for a moment, he regretted that he had allowed himself to be so swept up in her and his own need for power that he'd forgotten all this.

And right now, as he shared a drink Klaus on the balcony of the Mikaelson manor, looking over the skyline and breathing in the night air, he regretted that he'd allowed his relationship with the man to fall apart so easily, over and over again. He was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he might not have been as blameless as he'd once assumed and it was a sobering thought. Beside them, Hayley was sipping her own drink, filling them in on her day as Klaus tried to convince her to come to some art exhibition with him. He was jerked away from his thoughts at the sound of his name.

"What's wrong with just taking Marcel? He'd actually enjoy it."

Klaus rolled his eyes, not bothering to hide his amusement. "I think I've dragged Marcel out to enough galleries by now that he's probably sick of them." He turned to the vampire, gesturing at Hayley vaguely as he did so, the implication of ' _help me_ ' clear in the action.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind going," he found himself saying, to his surprise. "Besides, like Hayley pointed out, at least I'll be able to appreciate it. Unlike _some_ people, I happen to have taste," he teased, the brunette laughing even as she directed a crude gesture his way.

Before Klaus could respond to his offer though, a phone rang, the ringtone cutting through the pleasant atmosphere. "Pretty sure that's mine," Hayley groaned, making to get up before Klaus waved her off, speeding into the room behind them to retrieve her phone.

"So," Marcel began, drawing the word out. "You wanna tell me what exactly is up between you and him?" He grinned at the look she sent at him, holding his hands up in the universal peace sign. "Just saying. I like to think I know the both of you well enough to know when something's off."

Hayley grinned wolfishly, settling back in her seat, but before she could speak, Klaus returned, phone pressed to his ear as he pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. They could make out a woman's voice yelling on the other side. "It's Rebekah," he informed them and Marcel couldn't help the lump at formed in his throat at the mention of her name.

" _You didn't tell her_?" Hayley hissed at the hybrid.

On the other end of the line it seemed the gist of Rebekah's ranting amounted to the same thing, Klaus responding to both as he said, "its a little difficult to hold a conversation when _someone_ doesn't ever answer her phone."

He rolled his eyes as this set off a new tirade, sending Marcel an apologetic look before putting the phone on speaker, her voice filling the air around them. "-that's hardly an excuse, Nik, and you know it!" It took a few moments to get over the shock of hearing her voice and shove aside all the emotions it evoked, but once he did, Marcel leaned against the balcony to enjoy her fury against Klaus's amused irritation as she ripped into him and Hayley for leaving her to find out about her brother's return on her own.

It was only afterwards that he wondered how she'd found out in the first place. Wondered if this meant she listened to her voicemails afterall. He wasn't sure which answer would disappoint him more.

* * *

 **Heya! So, a couple things. Marcel's been in love with Rebekah basically his entire existence. And they're cute together. But damn, boy needs to start live his own life first and figure out what he wants besides power and control. Like, even when he was in charge of New Orleans, what did he do? Party? Be a douche? Idk man, I wasn't very impressed. Just cause he's technically dead doesn't mean he shouldn't live. To reach that end neither Vincent nor Hayley felt particularly appropriate. And I suppose Josh is technically alive in this story's timeline but I'm not going to lie, I _completely_ forgot about his existence until like 2 seconds ago. An besides, he and Josh never really had that kind of relationship, not really. There is a power imbalance between them and Josh, for all that he'd be the voice of reason, knew that. Also, I wanna fix his and Klaus's relationship, sue me. But Klaus canonically would be far more chill if given the option. Besides being in love with the arts, in season 2 when they bring in his birth dad for 2 episodes, he mentions following Klaus around and noting how much he liked shit like climbing Everest. In season 3 when we're shown flashbacks, it's Elijah who's getting invested in politics with Tristan while Klaus and Lucien are messing around, chilling with the horses. And, if I remember correctly, the first time we're shown Klaus stepping up and taking charge is when Rebekah falls for that hunter dude who made the sleep knives. (I think that was in the vamp diaries) and honestly, I'm really confused about how and why I remember all this stuff when I haven't seen these seasons in 3 years but I don't remember what I studied in class last week. But anyway, I want them to bond and even though there wasn't a lot of that, I do hope to show it more going forward. **

**Oh and in the Hope segment, Klaus isn't like compelling her or some ish, that's just that parent thing where they tell you to do something and you do it because parents. Do drop a review if you have any questions/comments or just if this made you emote in any way :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**OK, I gotta admit, this one's on me. I'm sorry guys, I just really haven't been feeling motivated to do this chapter and I honestly had no idea where to take this, hence the smaller chapter. I still have no idea where I wanna go after this chapter, I'm just... figuring it out as I go along I guess. I don't trust myself to be able to come up with anything more that's halfway decent just yet though, so I'm posting what I have and I really hope I can figure out the rest soon and give you guys a good next chapter. See, this is where reviews come in, I am NEVER lying when I say I NEED ideas.**

 **Also, I'd like to add that last chapter in the end notes, I said some stuff about Marcel which wasn't entirely fair or accurate to his character. I will stand by my belief that his rule pre series was (mostly) selfish and many of the ideals put forward quite harmful, but I did go a little far. That said, guest reviewers, I see you, I acknowledge you, I can't respond to you because y'all are guests. But y'all who are like "are you ever going to finish this?" Yes, I am, stop being a dick about it. Reviews like that are really not gonna get me to write more, they're more likely to get me rolling my eyes and moving along with my day.  
**

 **I acknowledge that that was not the nicest way to put things but seriously, ask me nicely, maybe on your actual account, and you are almost guaranteed a response and me getting off my ass to write.**

 **I do hope you enjoy this chapter and the direction this is going in. As always, I love you guys and totally don't deserve your support, but it's HELLA appreciated :)**

* * *

 _Why do humans like to overcomplicate_ _ **everything**_ _?_

A frown tugged at Klaus's lips as he read the text lighting up his phone, and he immediately excused himself from the inane conversation he had been forced into with one of New Orleans' elite. From there, it took only a few moments to cross the floor and make his way outside to the, thankfully, deserted balcony and dial, even less for Kol to answer, his surprise filtering down the line as he spoke.

"Nik? Didn't you have that gala thing tonight?"

"Fundraiser," the hybrid corrected absently, waving off his brother's concerns. "Dull enough that I'm wondering why I even bothered making an appearance."

"A _fundraiser_?" Kol asked with a choked laugh. "Whatever for? Didn't that use to be Elijah's thing?"

"It may have been," the older admitted, smiling despite himself. "I haven't any idea what any of it is for. Personally," and here he lowered his voice as if to impart a secret, "I suspect it's simply an excuse to display their wealth while still maintaining the image of class."

"Class, of course," the vampire grinned, "being the exact opposite of yourself and your dramatics, so what _are_ you doing there?"

"You know, I haven't the faintest idea. Sheer boredom, I expect." He paused, inhaling deeply before- "whatever possessed you to go about the adoption process the human way?"

"Davina wants to 'do it right', whatever _that_ means," Kol grumbled. "And I must admit, there is something strangely appealing about it, but I just don't see why it all has to be _so damn complicated_!"

"Overcomplicating things unnecessarily is the foundation upon which human society is built, Kol. I'd have thought you would have realised that by now." He couldn't prevent the smile that crept over his lips at the petulant whine he got in response from his younger brother.

"Yeah, I know that Nik, but why can't these things ever work in _my_ favour for once?"

" _Well_ ," the hybrid drew out the word teasingly, "you _did_ break that princess's looking glass that one time, I imagine such curses take a long time to fade…"

" _It was an accident_!" Kol spluttered in protest. Klaus said nothing. " _Fine_ ," he admitted, rolling his eyes. "It wasn't an accident. But she deserved it and you know it!" The older chuckled, conceding his point and a comfortable silence stretched between them.

There was a moment's hesitation and then, haltingly - "you know that standing invitation of yours-?"

And at the same time, voices overlapping and Kol blurting, afraid he'd lose courage if another second passed - "any chance - next week if you can-"

A pause, inhaling air they hadn't needed for millennia, Klaus suggesting quietly that Kol go first.

A heartbeat's hesitation and then, equally quietly, "I was wondering if you would be free next week to come visit."

"I would love to."

* * *

Klaus was quiet when he came back home, but there was a fierce happiness in the kiss he pressed to Hayley's cheek. "Someone's in a good mood," she commented, without looking up from her book. When eventually she did raise her eyes to meet his, Hayley started at the exuberance she found there, uncontrolled and open for her to see. Book abandoned as she sat up, her hands reached for his, thumbs rubbing calming circles into his skin when she realised he was trembling, unsure if it was from excitement or fear.

She listened quietly as he told her of his conversation with Kol, fingers squeezing his in silent encouragement as he recounted his brother's invitation. His voice had a breathless quality to it, as if he still couldn't _quite_ believe Kol had meant it, couldn't quite believe he'd agreed to it without a second thought, that if asked again and again, his answer would remain the same, an unhesitating _yes_. His lips were curved into a small smile, equal parts disbelieving and excited, a smile she'd never seen before and she wondered what deity it was that had dared to decide to keep the Mikaelson siblings apart and, in doing so, deprived the world of that smile. The moment passed and a thought occurred to the hybrid, a frown replacing that smile as he quietly noted that he hadn't factored in Hayley's busy schedule.

The she wolf shrugged, half smiling as she squeezed his hands tightly. "Not gonna lie, I'm gonna miss my morning kisses. You've completely spoiled me, Klaus Mikaelson. I'm going to be in the _worst_ mood until you come back." A pause and then, jokingly with a hint of a threat, "you'd better take a hundred pictures and video call me every day because I'm gonna hunt you down if you ever ghost me again." Klaus stared at her uncomprehendingly and she pulled him down into a gentle, if slightly uncomfortable, embrace, his arms immediately coming up around her, fingers curling in her hair. "Don't worry about me," she whispered, her breath tickling the collar of his suit, "Freya's coming back in a few days and Vincent always needs help with the Sanctuary, so I won't be alone. Kol needs you right now and you need to be there for him." His grip tightened as he let out a shaky exhale and she pressed a kiss to his hair, then, pulling back, pressed one to his lips and gently led him up to their bed.

* * *

Freya wasn't quite certain what to expect when she finally walked through the doors of the manor she'd called home these past few years. Something, _anything_ , to reflect the momentous change that had taken place while she was away, but, nothing. If anything, it felt like the manor was _waiting_ , the walls almost quivering in anticipation of something, what it was, she didn't know and couldn't begin to guess.

Before she could look into it further, however, Freya had an armful of Hayley to contend with, the brunette tackling her with a hug, high pitched squeal of excitement escaping her lips. "You're back! I thought Keelin was going to keep you forever! Not that," she began firmly, pulling away for a moment to meet her eyes, "you and Keelin don't deserve it," going back in for another hug, her voice muffled by the witch's shirt, "but I _missed_ you."

"I missed you too," and if she was ever asked, Freya would deny the fact that her eyes were a little misty in that moment. Eventually they pulled apart, Hayley quickly swiping at her eyes before moving to hug Keelin, Freya blushing as she caught Hayley's whisper of how Keelin had better been taking care of her. Before she could interject, she caught sight of her brother and before she could even think about it, her arms were outstretched, his name on her lips as she pulled him in for a hug.

"Freya," and she could feel the warmth of his smile, tucked into the crook of her neck. Separating, arms still entangled, he examined her face, "vacation suits you."

"You sound surprised," she laughed.

"Just wondering why you didn't tell us all to sod off years ago while you took a much needed break." He winked but there was something strangely somber about his voice that she couldn't quite put her finger on and she found herself gripping his arms tightly without quite knowing why.

"And miss out on all the fun? I don't think so." She forced herself to loosen her grip and grin, "besides, this just means I have blackmail material and I hear you're the best at guilt gifts." Her grin softened into a smile as she startled a laugh out of her brother alongside a teasing accusation that she was spending too much time talking to Rebekah.

She'd been wrong earlier, there _was_ something different in the air. She couldn't quite identify what it was, but Freya had the feeling that, for once, her family was on the right track.

* * *

 **I must admit, I don't know very much about the adoption process except that it's long and complicated and very difficult. Therefore, it makes sense that familial support would definitely be appreciated and tbh, I've bring trying to figure out a way to get Kol back to New Orleans for quite a while for my end scene so I'm hoping that this will help lead into that eventually. If y'all have any questions, any comments, please don't hesitate to leave them, I love talking about this stuff and to you**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi! Yes, it is me, I'm finally back with another chapter. It was SUCH a struggle writing this, y'all have no idea (sobs into pillow) I really hope y'all like it, especially Klaus's section which almost wasn't a thing because after weeks of NOTHING AND NO IDEA WHAT TO DO FOR IT it basically wrote itself like half an hour before posting. I mean, CAN Y'ALL BELIEVE?**

 **Yeah me neither. Anyway, I do hope y'all enjoy and please do leave a review on your way out. There's nothing more lovely than a review.**

 **[Also it's almost my birthday so this is my present to y'all :)]**

* * *

Freya giggled as she passed a grumpy Hayley on her way to the coffee pot. "What happened, got up on the wrong side of bed today?" Hayley grumbled something into her cup Freya wasn't able to catch. The witch grinned as she poured herself a mug of the heavenly liquid. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of utter misery, what was that?"

A little more grumbling and then, still quietly but a little more coherent- "I didn't get my morning kisses." The she wolf glared as Freya burst into laughter. It probably wasn't as effective as it was meant to be given the childish pout still on her lips and the whine of " _don't judge me!_ " that followed.

"Oh, I'm judging you," Freya assured her. "I'm judging you _hard_. But," and she sighed, putting her mug down and walking over to where the brunette was sitting, she wrapped her arms around Hayley's shoulders in a loose embrace, the other's hand rising to grip her arm. "I'm also amazing, so you get hugs."

"Thanks," Hayley replied, squinting up at the witch. "I'm still gonna punch you for laughing though."

"Sure you will."

Further teasing was put off as Keelin entered, the she wolf also making a beeline for the coffee pot. She downed half a cup of coffee before turning to the other two women in the kitchen, sending them a questioning glance. Freya spoke up before Hayley could, grinning as she gleefully informed Keelin how "Hayley's pissed because she's been deprived of her morning kisses."

Keelin sent Freya an unimpressed look. "You're one to talk. You literally go off in a huff if I don't provide cuddles on sight!" Hayley outright _cackled_ , almost missing the wink the wolf shot her way as Freya spluttered indignantly, loudly defending herself.

It wasn't a perfect substitute for her morning kisses but, as Hayley reflected later, it definitely came in a close second.

* * *

Hope Mikaelson had a Problem. Well, if she was being honest, she had very many problems, but the most pressing one at the moment was walking towards her, bumping their hips together and asking if she had gotten started on their chemistry homework yet. Wait. _Chemistry homework_? Make that _two_ pressing problems. Josie laughed as Hope rushed off to her locker to grab the relevant notebooks, calling out after her that she'd send her the questions "because we both know you don't have those either!" Hope flipped her the bird, but she couldn't quite keep away the grin that spread across her face. No, Josie Saltzman was one problem she didn't mind having.

Well, it was a problem she didn't mind having _most_ of the time - and Hope was brutally reminded of that fact during a facetime with her mother that night. She had been distracted by a text from Josie, and when she turned her attention back to her mother, Hayley was grinning widely.

"Oh, I know _that_ look. Who is he?"

"W-who?" The word caught in the teen's throat, coming out a nervous stutter.

"My baby girl has a crush!" Hayley all but squealed excitedly. "Come on, you can tell me. Is he cute?" _And there it was_. It wasn't that Hope thought her parents would take it _badly_ if she told them, but… she hesitated and she didn't know why.

Her mother must have caught her hesitation though, because even if she didn't know why, she changed the subject with a quick wink and a teasing "keep your secrets, then." And somehow, that only made her feel worse. She _wanted_ her mom to push, or, better yet, to simply _understand_ without Hope having to tell her. Then they could all just move on and everything would be perfect.

Unfortunately, real life has a habit of disappointing and Hope cut the call sooner than she normally would have, claiming homework as an excuse. Flopping down on her bed, she sighed. "This _sucks_."

* * *

It wasn't that Klaus was having second thoughts about coming, he was simply… hesitant. The last time he had seen his younger brother in person was about eight years ago. He'd admit, their communication had definitely improved over the past few months, but… what if that improvement was limited to talking over the phone? It was, Klaus felt, a valid concern. Therefore, standing at Kol's front door, hesitation at ringing the doorbell seemed to be a rational emotion. Well, except for the voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like Hayley's telling him to stop being a coward and just _ring the damn bell_.

He did.

The door was answered promptly by a boy who looked about nine. "Hallo," he greeted Klaus, looking him up and down. "Who're you?"

The hybrid opened and closed his mouth several times before settling on "Klaus. I'm hoping you're David because otherwise I'm at the wrong house."

"No, I'm Da-David," the kid said easily. "Are you Kol's brother? He said you'd be coming today."

"That I am. May I come in?"

"I'll have to think about it," he said seriously. "Davina's very parti- particular about letting strangers in. They let me watch a lot of TV so I kind of get why."

"Maybe you could call one of them to prove who I am?" Klaus suggested, a hint of amusement in the words. The boy considered it, squinting suspiciously at the hybrid for a moment before shrugging.

"Davina's not home, so I'll get Kol," he decided. "But you'll have to stay outside till then, 'kay?" He didn't bother waiting for an answer, closing the door almost immediately, leaving Klaus waiting on the front step. " _Kol! There's some guy outside sa-saying he's your brother! Should I let him in?_ "

Perhaps he shouldn't have gained as much amusement as he did from the vague thumps and crashes he could make out from inside the house before a slightly dishevelled Kol yanked the door open but, well, Klaus never claimed to be perfect.

"You came." Kol's voice had a tint of incredulity to it and before he knew what he was doing, Klaus found himself pulling his younger brother into a hug.

"Of course I did, you idiot," he murmured into the vampire's shoulder.

"So I guess we can let him in?" A voice piped up from behind Kol and the two broke apart laughing.

"Yeah, David," Kol said, not looking away from Klaus. "We can let him in."

* * *

"Aunt Freya, I have a Problem."

Now, Freya hadn't been expecting a phone call from her niece, much less for _that_ to be the opening line, but here they were. "You mean _besides_ spending way too much time with your Uncle Kol?" She asked, holding back her sigh. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Sorry, hi." The teenager had the grace to sound sheepish at least, before launching into what was bothering her. "Okay, so you know how guys are really pretty and girls are really pretty too?" She paused long enough for Freya to respond with a confused hum of agreement. This was _not_ the direction the older witch had expected this conversation to take. She did start making her way to the kitchen though, figuring a bag of chips would not be amiss in this situation.

"Well, yeah, so like, the last time I had a crush, it was on Roman and we both know that did _not_ turn out well and like, it was obviously a complete waste of a first kiss." The teenager rambled on as her aunt decided to grab a tub of ice cream and a spoon instead, making herself comfortable before processing what she had heard and injecting-

"Wait, _that_ was your first kiss? Any chance you get a do-over on these things?"

"I _wish_. But no, tragic right?" Freya hummed in indignant agreement around a mouthful of ice cream as Hope continued. "Anyway, that was my last crush and it _totally_ crashed and burned. So I'd be iffy with a new crush anyway, right? Except, I kind of have a bigger problem than them being a hidden jerk and like," she took a deep breath, speaking in a rush, "it's a girl and she's amazing and I thought I'd ask you for advice because Mom keeps asking me who it is and I don't know what to do."

"Oh. _Oh_!" Freya swallowed the mouthful of ice cream she had just taken, straightening up and asked - " _is she cute?_ "

" _Aunt Freya_!" Hope's voice bordered on whining and the older witch grinned.

" _What_? Believe me, no one is going to care if you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend - no wait," she cut herself off. "Your dad might. But only because you're his little princess and he's absolutely certain that no one is good enough for you."

Hope made a vague sound of consideration at that last bit before agreeing, "yeah, you're right, he _would_ think that. But Aunt Freya, _still_!" That was definitely a whine and Freya grinned as she dug into her ice cream again. "How do I tell them?"

"I feel like I should say something along the lines of 'just come out and say it,' but honestly? I don't think there's ever an easy or obvious way to do that. Just… we all love you, no matter what, ok? Nothing is ever gonna change that fact, I promise."

"Yeah?" The teen's voice was soft and unsure and Freya felt a strong urge to reach through the phone and hug her niece as tight as she could.

"Yeah," she repeated firmly.

And if Hope found a container of homemade cookies on her table that night, she knew exactly who to thank.

* * *

 **Yo, so a couple things, 1) regarding Hope being paired up with Josie. I still do not watch Legacies and as of now I still have no intention of watching it. On AO3 I was corrected on my wrong understanding that the twins and Hope were the same age, however, for the purposes of this fic, we shall assume that they are the same age. This is as 1) the Hope of my fic is still 15, making the twins technically 13. Therefore, I feel uncomfortable with putting a 15 year old with a 13 year old. I would also feel uncomfortable putting an 18 year old (as Hope evidently is in Legacies) with a 16 year old. This is as teenagers are roaring hot messes of hormones and a two year age gap is a big thing at that point in time. If anyone has any issues with this, I don't particularly care. This is my stance and I am sticking to it :)**

 **2) I don't think I mentioned Future Adopted Child's name before, but if anyone is still confused, it is indeed David. I really adore the idea of found family when it comes to Kol and Davina tbh. The former never really felt like he could fit in with his family and the latter was literally a lamb for slaughter and disowned by her community. Anyway, in an earlier chapter I mentioned the kid has a stutter. Stutters manifest in different ways, I'm basing his speech patterns on my own. I can often speak normally without any problems for a while and then randomly be tripped up with different words, sometimes in the middle of the word. It is a little difficult to show that in writing but I am doing my best and I do hope you will bear with me and offer suggestions if you are able.**

 **3) My Hope is bi. For all y'all who say bisexual people aren't a thing or aren't part of the community, there's the door, please show yourself out. I know she can't get more loving parents than Klaus and Hayley but let's be real here, no matter what, coming out is a terrifying experience for very many people. And even if it isn't, it's hard. I'm not speaking from experience here, but as a person who's somewhat connected to the world at large, it makes sense to me that Hope would be hesitant. I chose Freya for her to talk to first not just because Freya is already in a committed relationship with another woman but because I headcannon them to be quite close. Afterall, in the show, Freya is the one to break the news about Hayley being killed. I figure that when she's not being so serious, she along with Kol are probably one of the most fun out of her aunts/uncles to hang with.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey y'all. Yes, I'm finally back - and with a Klaus centric chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, it was definitely interesting to write a kid again, come up with the personality and figure out how to write that according to the age - I come from a pretty large extended family but the only 9 year old around me I have had a lot of interaction with so I really hope I've done it justice. Let me know what y'all think of David and if you like him! Also, the best part of my background is figuring out titles. Because in English it's just generic aunt/uncle, gran/granpa but in Urdu (my language), there's a different name for every relationship, like your dad's older brother is called something different than his younger brother. It's a lot of fun even if I can't apply that here.**

 **Also, writing a stutter is harder than I anticipated. I know how I want the word to sound, I just don't know how to write it out. Like, it's not just generic can't get past the first letter. Sometimes it's hesitation and the word coming out slower, sometimes its sort of sounding it out, sometimes you get tripped up halfway. I have a stutter that comes out when I'm stressed so I know how I experience it I just don't know how to translate that onto the page. So this is sort of a heads up in case it comes off weird and lowkey if anyone has any tips, please don't hesitate to share.**

 **Anyway, I realised something when writing this chapter and I AM SO MAD because Julie Plec could have made the show infinitely more intense or hilarious had she chosen to take this into account but she didn't because she's BORING and has NO imagination. Mikael was a viking. You know what the vikings believed in? Norse mythology. Yep, that's Thor and Loki and all those guys. WE WERE ROBBED and we had NO idea! Anyway, I try to make up for that a little. So, without further ado, read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

"S-so why does Kol call you Nick?" David asked as Klaus was led inside.

"Nik," the hybrid corrected gently, "and likely because that is my name - Niklaus Mikaelson, at your service." He finished with an awkward, funny little bow, juggling his bags as best as he could, David giggling at the picture it made.

"T-that's kind of a weird name," the boy informed him in between giggles.

"Hence why a grand total of two people call me by it," came the dry response as Kol stifled laughter of his own.

David, however, nodded solemnly at this statement, nose scrunching as he thought. "S-so what do I call you?" There was a pause as both men stopped, eyes meeting in a silent conversation before Kol suggested they go inside first and figure out names later.

* * *

Once he'd been shown to the room kept for him and rid of his bags, Klaus watched with growing amusement as David grew more and more hyperactive in the time leading up to and during lunch. Sitting at the table, he was positively vibrating with excitement, jiggling his leg and scarfing down his food almost as though he didn't need to breathe - all the while aiming meaningful glances Kol's way. The vampire, for his part, pretended not to notice, taking an absurdly long time over his own meal, a smirk playing about his lips.

Eventually the boy could bear it no longer. " _Kol_ ," he whined. "You _promised_!"

"Did I?" he hummed languidly.

"Yes! You _promised_!"

"If we _must_ ," he said with a put upon sigh, mischief sparkling in his eyes as he caught Klaus' questioning look. "Why don't you tell Nik what this is about?"

David huffed with exasperation before turning to Klaus, "Kol promised we'd watch the Avengers after lunch - but he's taking _forever_ and I _know_ he's doing it on purpose!" He ducked as Kol tried to ruffle his hair, sending a glare the vampire's way.

"That _does_ sound like my brother," Klaus confided. "How about you tell me what the movie's about and we leave him here to clean up by himself?" he suggested, winking at the nine year old while Kol spluttered.

"He'd deserve it," David proclaimed with another glare for his foster father before softening. "But that wouldn't be nice."

"No, I suppose it wouldn't be," Klaus agreed, pausing thoughtfully. "In that case, what do you suggest we do?"

"Wait for me to finish!" Kol interjected indignantly. His brother snorted, amused, and informed him that he had to at least give the appearance of trying to be quick in order to be given that courtesy. The vampire huffed but it was clear he wasn't half as annoyed as he pretended to be, winking at David as he cleared his plate at record speed. "I'll clean up here," he told them as he picked up the dishes, "go put the movie on, I'll just be a minute." David didn't need to be told twice, the boy running off almost before Kol finished. Klaus lingered a few moments, eyes meeting his brother's in a silent question. Whatever he saw there seemed to satisfy him because he nodded once before following the nine year old to the lounge and helping him put on the movie.

David curled up in the absolute middle of the couch, producing a somewhat ratty soft toy from no discernable place that Klaus could tell, leaning slightly against Kol when he sat next to him. He'd clearly watched this movie multiple times if his chattering was any indication. He pointed out every character to Klaus as they were introduced - "tha-at's Loki, he's Kol's fav-favourite. Tony's the _coolest_ , I wanna b-be him but I'd need a Pepper too and Peppers are hard to find. Captain America is funny sometimes, but he gives lots of boring speeches and I di-idn't like his movie _at all_. That's Thor. He talks weird but-"

" _That's Thor_?" Klaus interrupted, aghast. "Why is he _blond_? Thor has _red_ hair!" David looked at him as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head. "And since when is Loki Thor's brother?"

"Uhhh, since _always_?"

Klaus turned betrayed eyes upon his younger brother who shrugged as if to say ' _what can I do?_ ' The hybrid spluttered some more and Kol grinned mischievously as something occurred to him. "Just wait till you see what they've done to Loki's kids in the Thor movies." Klaus's features twisted into disgust.

"Fenrir may eat this world, I no longer care."

"The Fenris-wolf devours _Odin_ , brother," Kol corrected him, amused.

"And he has my blanket permission to continue after that and proceed to devour the rest of us," came the firm reply.

"You're both so weird," David broke in. "Can we get back to the movie now?"

"Sure kiddo," Kol said, ruffling David's hair and snickering at the ridiculous expressions his elder brother kept making.

* * *

It wasn't that Hayley was waiting with bated breath for Klaus to call, not at all. She was just… interested, when her phone rang. That was it. Anything Freya said to the contrary was to be taken with a grain of salt because Freya was a dirty liar who lied. Naturally, the universe was conspiring against her, so when Klaus finally did call, she was in the shower.

This _did_ , however, have the plus point of her coming out of the shower to several pictures of Kol and a young boy, whom she assumed was David, curled up on the couch, the caption announcing that they had just finished _The Avengers_. Obviously, the first thing she did after making sure the pictures were saved to her camera roll was to call Klaus back.

"I can't believe you actually sent me pictures!" she squealed excitedly as he answered, bouncing a little on her bed.

"Well, you did threaten to hunt me down if I didn't," Klaus shrugged, leaning against the headboard of the bed he was on, not bothering to hide the way his lips curved up at the sheer delight in her voice. "I happen to rather like being in one piece, you see."

"Oh hush, you probably wouldn't have minded _that_ much." Hayley waved away his protests with a wolfish grin. " _So_ ," she began, dragging out the word. "Is David as cute in real life as his picture suggests? I bet he's a little hellion."

"And what exactly are you basing this assumption on?" he asked, amused.

"He has a glint," came the assured reply, Klaus mouthing the words back in confusion.

"How on earth our daughter grew up to be even somewhat well adjusted is a miracle," he told Hayley dryly, the she wolf yelling in mock indignation. "He isn't one, by the way," he informed her. "A hellion, that is. He may have his misconceptions about the Norse gods, but he's a decent sort. And this adoption will be good for my brother, I can tell already." Hayley filed away that comment about Norse gods for a later time, but couldn't help the smile that spread at Klaus's words. "Is it wrong that I'm worried about meeting Davina?" he asked suddenly.

"I'd be surprised if you weren't," Hayley confessed. "Kol deserves better than the two of you at each other's throats the whole time you're there."

"I know," Klaus responded before he could think too deeply about it, surprising them both.

"Well then, if I'm being perfectly honest, Davina deserves better than stressing about you as well as the adoption too," Hayley interjected quickly, ignoring the low growl on the other end of the line.

"You act as though I hold sole responsibility in the matter." His voice was flat, lips tightly pressed together as he met her gaze.

"That's not what I'm saying," she told him, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "You both screwed up - multiple times - but that isn't the point. Could you please try to be the bigger man? You can afford to be civil for like a week and you know it. If not for her sake, then your brother's?" He nodded shortly and she heaved a sigh, taking the win for what it was before flopping back down on her bed and demanding details on David.

* * *

It was late when Davina finally walked in, clearly exhausted from a long day at work. She spared a politely formal greeting for Klaus, kissed her husband hello and went to check on David who'd gone to bed an hour ago.

"Somehow, that went better than I expected," Klaus commented lightly.

"She's had to take longer shifts than usual these past few weeks, Nik," the vampire groaned. " _Please_ be nice."

"Why, I'm offended, brother mine." Klaus grinned. "To imply that I am anything other than perfectly cordial at all times-" he broke off as Kol looked at him, sighing softly, his gaze sober, all traces of humour gone. "I'm here for a reason, Kol. I have no intention of making either of your lives more difficult."

The vampire's shoulders slumped. "I know. Unfortunately, I also know your history with Davina, so you'll forgive me for being wary."

"It's a history I have no intention of, nor interest in, repeating," Klaus assured him, rolling his eyes as his brother levied him with a suspicious look. "And people call _me_ paranoid." The younger's fears were to remain unfounded though, the hybrid approaching Davina after dinner to lay demons to rest that should have been put down a long time ago.

"Look, Klaus," the witch began, not looking up from her laptop or pausing her typing. "I don't have the time or energy right now. Can't we just agree to be civil for Kol's sake and leave it at that?"

The hybrid smiled tightly. "As you wish. I merely," he broke off, clearing his throat roughly. "I merely wished to… apologise for my part in the events that took place before you left New Orleans." Davina's fingers hovered over her keyboard, shock colouring her features as she finally looked up at weight of her gaze was uncomfortable and Klaus forced himself to shrug. "My brother deserves better than me prioritizing a foolish grudge over his peace of mind at a time like this."

"I… honestly don't know what to say," Davina admitted. "This is the last thing I expected."

"I have a fifteen year old daughter," the hybrid chuckled softly. "I should hope that I have matured enough to admit to my failings by now."

Her lips twitched upwards unwillingly and Davina nodded. "Well, um, I'm sorry for my part in antagonising you too. I didn't exactly make things easy for you either."

"No, no you didn't," he admitted with a small smile. "Truce?"

"Truce."


	17. Chapter 17

**Um hi? I swear I have no idea where October went. For some reason my professors all woke up to realise that they needed to give us work. I swear they have meetings to decide how to torture us next. Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this chapter - as much trouble as the ending gave me and I do hope y'all enjoy it too :)**

 **I could have sworn I had more to say but I guess not, so without further ado, read, review and enjoy!  
**

* * *

Walking into the kitchen in the morning, Klaus was a little surprised by the scene he found there. Gone was the energetic boy he had been introduced to yesterday; he had been replaced by a far grumpier version, pointing sullenly at one of the cereal boxes on the shelf. The hybrid turned to his brother who was grabbing the box with a small sigh, taking in the tired slump of his shoulders and the strained smile on his lips

"Everything alright?" he murmured as David focused his energies on glaring at his cereal as if it had purposely offended him.

"I'll tell you later," Kol murmured back just as Davina came in, a bottle of medicine brandished triumphantly in her hand.

"Found it!" she exclaimed, missing the way David's head shot up at the sound of her voice, the boy immediately scrambling out of his seat to hide under the table. Kol, however, caught the movement, following him as best as he was able, half fitting himself inside the small space in a flash, trying to coax him out.

About five minutes later and none of his pleading was showing any signs of wearing the kid down. "C'mon, David, it doesn't even taste that bad, I promise!"

"Don't wanna!"

"This isn't exactly negotiable sweetie," Davina tried from where she was kneeling beside the table. "How are you going to get better if-"

" _I ss- sa-_ " there was a pause as he tried to force the words out, followed by a wordless scream of frustration when he wasn't able to.

"Not that I intend to tell you how to parent your own child," Klaus interjected smoothly, if quietly, "but why don't you mix the medicine with something sweet like honey? It might make for an acceptable compromise."

Davina sent a frazzled glare his way, but Kol popped out from under the table to ask, "Is that what you did with Marcel?" Upon receiving a positive answer, he turned to his wife. "It's worth a shot," was all he said out loud, the two having an entire conversation in the moment's silence that followed, before Kol nodded once and disappeared under the table again. He spoke in low tones for a minute before emerging and sending a nod to Davina who sighed with relief and rose.

"There's strawberry jam in the cabinet behind you," she directed Klaus hesitantly. "Could you-?"

"Of course."

Everything happened rather quickly after that, Davina pouring out some medicine, David making a face before gulping it down and turning to Kol immediately, the vampire already holding out a spoonful of jam in preparation. A full body shudder by the nine year old and then he was dropping back into his chair to eat his long soggy cereal as if the past ten minutes had never happened, the quiet broken only by the clink of steel against ceramic and the occasional sniffle. Davina sat down next to him, ruffling his hair tiredly and shooting Kol a grateful look when he handed her a mug of coffee. Another fifteen minutes and the witch was pressing a soft kiss to Kol's cheek and calling out a goodbye as she left for work, David wiping his nose on his sleeve before waving his goodbye to her and hopping off his chair to run to his room.

"I give it half an hour before he's tired of pretending to sleep so I don't give him chores and then he'll be back for cuddles," Kol said as the kid disappeared. "Forty-five minutes at most." The vampire rose from his seat, gathering up the dishes, speaking quickly, eyes not meeting his brother's. "He's been feverish since last night. Typically, his stutter usually acts up when he's sick which means he gets more frustrated - and who could blame the kid, I'd be annoyed as hell too - but that makes things worse so he can hardly speak at all so he doesn't. And I know that's probably not healthy but, honestly, I kind of remember Rebekah doing something similar once when we were kids and dad was a dick about it. I don't want to put my kid through anything even remotely like that-" he broke off, inhaling deeply as Klaus rose. "What?"

The hybrid just squeezed his arm gently before grabbing the plates in his hands and carrying them to the sink. "Learn to ask for help, you imbecile."

"I'm not an imbecile!"

"Of course not," Klaus responded in soothing tones as he turned on the tap and began washing. "But I'm here to help you, so stop treating me as you would a guest and tell me what you need me to do. Better yet, sit down and tell me where you keep your blood bags so I can force some down your throat before you collapse."

"Oh. Um, in the fridge, bottom drawer," Kol found himself answering, surprised wonder slowing his response. "Pretty sure I don't need any-"

"Kol?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

* * *

"If you're gonna be an asshole, I'll hex you." And with that charming greeting, Freya flopped face first onto Hayley's bed, the she wolf groaning as she rolled over, burrowing herself deeper inside her blanket.

"It's ass o'clock in the morning, Freya!" she complained as the blonde smacked her with a pillow. "Besides," she grumbled, cracking open one eye to glare at the witch, "I'm always an asshole, so what is it about now?" Freya, however, had gone back to acquainting herself with Hayley's pillows, her voice muffled by the fact that her face was buried deep inside the brunette's best, most fluffiest one. So naturally, Hayley proceeded to grab one of the other pillows littering the bed to thump her with it. Hard. "Words, Freya," she reminded her, " _use them_ or I'm going back to sleep."

"You're terrible," Freya complained, lifting her head ever so slightly.

Hayley raised an eyebrow, the effect completely lost on the witch, given that the room was still shrouded in darkness. "Yes, yes I am. I'm also gonna bite you in ten seconds unless you have a good reason for waking me up."

"Kinky, but isn't that what you have Klaus for?" Freya snarked. A growl and the witch groaned, turning to lie on her back. " _Fine_. I need your help."

Hayley clicked her tongue in disappointment. "And you didn't even have the decency of getting me coffee." She sighed, "alright, I'm already awake at this point, what do you need?"

A moment's hesitation and then Freya blurted, "I need help picking a ring for Keelin." The she wolf took another moment to let that sink in before sitting up and squealing in delight.

"Why didn't you _start_ with that?" she demanded. "Keelin's got that conference today, right? Do you have anything specific in mind? Tiffanys just got their new collection in, we should probably start there-"

"You've certainly got this planned out," the other woman interrupted, amused.

"Well, I _do_ have a gorgeous dress riding on when you propose…" Hayley trailed off mischievously as Freya gasped.

"Hayley Marshall, did you bet on my love life with Rebekah?"

"Turnabout's fair play," the brunette informed her, grinning widely. Freya smacked her with a pillow.

* * *

Freya and Hayley had gone to at least three different jewelry shops before Hope called, both women heaving internal sighs of relief at the break, sitting down in a nearby cafe to talk to the teen.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?"

"Nothing really, I mean, school sucks - as _always_ ," she complained dramatically. "I don't suppose you could send me, your only daughter who is absolutely wonderful and loves you to pieces, a couple dozen cookies to remind me a world exists outside campus?"

Hayley laughed, "you see, Freya, this is the entirety of my importance. It all comes down to cookies."

She would have continued her teasing had Hope not cut in excitedly, asking "Is Aunt Freya there too?"

"Yep, here you go," she passed her phone to the witch, unable to hold back her smile as her daughter chatted happily with her aunt.

"Hey, is Dad anywhere near you guys?" the teenager suddenly asked. "I wanted to ask him something about Mystic Falls."

"Oh shoot, did we not tell you? He's not in town, he's left to go visit your Uncle Kol for a week," Hayley informed her daughter apologetically.

"Wait, since when?" Hope's voice was a little high pitched and her mother frowned.

"Just a couple days, hun," she soothed. "He'll be back by the end of the week."

"Right, because you guys have such a great track record of that." The teen shook her head, voice wavering, "no. Dad wouldn't just _leave_. What aren't you telling me? What happened?"

"Hope," Hayley said slowly, " _nothing_ happened. Kol invited him and he went. He'll be back Sunday night."

"And I'm just supposed to _believe_ that?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Hayley asked instead, facepalming at her child's prompt response of 'because you don't want me to worry.' The teenager wasn't satisfied until Freya corroborated everything, still clearly unhappy with this turn of events and remaining distracted until the end of the call.

"Do you think-?" Freya broke off as Hayley nodded, exhaling harshly. "I think you should probably talk to Niklaus; we can go ring shopping another day." Hayley protested at that but Freya was adamant. "Keelin's conference is going on for a couple days and, besides," with a slight smirk, "don't you think we've harassed jewelry store employees enough today?"

"Fine," Hayley giggling despite herself, "but we're definitely going to check out more shops tomorrow." Freya agreed and they left the cafe, making their way home, Hayley shooting Klaus a text to call her.

They'd just barely reached the manor when Klaus called, concern plain in his words as he demanded, "what on earth did you tell Hope that has her so worked up?" Hayley sighed and waved Freya on, dropping into one of the chairs in the courtyard.

"Nothing. _Literally_ , nothing. She asked where you were and I said you'd left to visit Kol. She took it to mean that something must have happened to force you to leave again. Did Hope call you?"

"Yes, she did," and his voice is quiet. "I don't - I feel like I've failed her."

Hayley's heart sank. " _Klaus_ … what did she say?"

"Somehow, what she _didn't_ say is more important in this case." He sighed, shaking his head, "my daughter can't trust that I'll stay in her life. What am I supposed to do with that Hayley? What _can_ I do?" His words hung heavy between them, ringed with a hopelessness that Hayley had not heard in a long time, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around the hybrid as she insisted that he was wrong. "Given the conversation I just had, I sincerely doubt that," he told her quietly and something inside her snapped.

" _No_ ," and there was steel in her voice as she spoke. "You don't get to put all this on yourself, 'kay? Making sure there's stability in _our_ daughter's life isn't solely on you and it never should have been." She inhaled deeply, aware that nothing she could say was going to have much impact right now. "We'll talk when you get back, alright?" She sighed as her only response was a soft noise of agreement. "I love you."

"I love you too." A harsh swallow and then he ended the call, leaving Hayley to the tender mercies of her own thoughts.


	18. Chapter 18

**Um, hi? *Ducks to avoid all the shoes y'all rightfully probably wanna throw at me* Sorry for disappearing for so long, I really have no excuses. Real life is hectic and annoying but y'all deserve better, I'm sorry.** **If you're still reading, I love and appreciate you more than I can say and I really hope you enjoy this chapter. I promise to try and not disappear for so long ever again. Really, y'all are the best.**

 **Read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

"Alright, who's dying?"

Marcel blinked. "I'm sorry, _what_? Hope, that is really not a great conversation starter, what are they teaching you in that school of yours?"

"Something about being a functional member of society if you ask my teachers," the witch responded, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I know you're still in New Orleans, so who's dying?"

Marcel really wasn't sure how to respond to that. Eventually he settled on a confused " _no one?_ "

"Well, _something's_ going on," she huffed. "And I don't trust Mom to tell me and since Dad has a history of making bad choices in the name of family, I can't trust him not to lie to me either."

"Wait, is this because Klaus isn't in town?" There was silence on the other end and all of a sudden everything fell in place. " _Geez_ , kid, he's gone to visit Kol 'cause he and Davina are in the process of adopting a kid. Believe me, the only weird thing about that situation is how excited your dad seems to be about it."

The teenager blinked and then blinked again. "That's _it_?" An emphatic ' _yeah_ ' and Hope exhaled loudly. "Are you _sure_?"

" _Yes_ , I'm sure. You do know your father's survived a millennium of people trying to kill him, right?"

"Well, he hasn't exactly had the best track record these past fifteen years," the witch muttered and Marcel winced.

"I know, but we'll work on it, your mom and I. I promise."

"You better," she huffed, settling down to shift the conversation to the everyday grievances of school life.

* * *

 _Sunlight filtered through the crack in the curtains, dust particles dancing in the rays and a light kiss on her forehead gently tugged her away from the warm embrace of her dreams. "Not yet," Hope murmured as she snuggled deeper into her blanket. She was rewarded with a small laugh and fingers running through her hair, the touch soft but insistent as a weight settled onto the edge of her bed and the witch couldn't help the smile the drifted onto her lips as she caught the comforting scent of her mother's perfume._

" _There's way too much to do for you to be sleeping in, baby girl!" Hayley informed her, grinning at the way the child groaned._

" _Not yet, Mama, please?"_

" _Alright, but don't blame me when we don't have time to make cookies," the she wolf teased, laughing as her daughter shot upright, dislodging her hand and resulting in her pillow falling to the floor. "Oh,_ _ **that's**_ _what gets you up? I see how important I am!"_

" _But cookies, Mama! Cookies!" The eight year old waved off her mother's words with the easy carelessness that only children are capable of and Hayley couldn't have helped the laugh that burst through her if she'd tried. Hope, never one to let an opportunity pass by her, grinned at her mother's mirth. "We should have a pajama day!"_

" _I think not, you little terror," Hayley said, flicking the child on her nose as Hope pouted. "But," she drew the word out, enjoying the delight that immediately lit up her daughter's face, "we_ _ **can**_ _have a pajama morning - if you get up right now." And she laughed again as Hope practically fell out of her bed in her haste, grabbing ahold of Hayley's hand and dragging her downstairs to the kitchen._

The memory came to Hayley as she shoved a tray of cookies into the oven to bake, and she wondered if every mother had allowed those ordinary days of childhood to slip by as she had, wondered what she would do if she ever got them back. She started as Freya bumped her shoulder lightly, drawing her out of her reverie.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just reminiscing," she smiled softly. "Hey, I think that we should give ring shopping another go today. Your perfect ring is out there, somewhere, waiting for you - I can feel it." The memory of those early days faded to the background as Freya began planning, waiting to be pulled out again on a rainy day.

* * *

A knock on his study door had Kol nearly upsetting the crystals he was examining, the vampire just catching one before it fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. He held in his exasperated sigh as his brother entered almost immediately after knocking - David at least had the decency to wait for permission. Nonetheless, Kol was quite certain he held in his annoyance adequately as he asked Nik what he wanted.

"I don't suppose you had anything particular in mind for dinner," the hybrid began with an innocent smile and Kol found himself holding back another sigh as he replied that he did not. "Wonderful," Klaus beamed. "Then I don't suppose you'll mind my taking over your kitchen today." It wasn't a question; the vampire raising an unimpressed eyebrow, receiving a grin as his only response before his brother swept out of the room as abruptly as he had come in, the closing door nearly sending that same crystal to the ground again.

Now, had it been anyone else with whom this had taken place, at any other time, perhaps Kol would have told himself to let sleeping dragons lie. He would have chosen to dismiss the situation entirely in favour of his work. But this was Nik. In _his_ kitchen. The vampire wouldn't call himself a pessimist - certainly not on any day that was not a Tuesday - but he also wasn't one to tempt Fate unnecessarily. At least, not in his own home.

So, a little over an hour after Nik had come barging into his study, Kol found himself giving up on his work as a lost cause and took the stairs two at a time as he made his way to the kitchen. The rest of the house was entirely too quiet and the vampire assured himself that it was not paranoia but caution that drove him. Still, he wasn't quite prepared for the scene that greeted him as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

David was seated on the counter, Nik presenting him with a spoon and asking him to taste something. They were surrounded by a number of things, placed apparently haphazardly and ranging from what appeared to be a bowl of chopped vegetables to butter to a pastry tin lined with paper. There were, in addition to this, a number of pots and pans that Kol could not make heads or tails of, at least not at a cursory glimpse. "I'll be very upset if you're poisoning my kid," he said when he finally found his voice.

His brother laughed and looked at David, who had his nose scrunched up in consideration, before turning to Kol. "Not today, I think," he replied with a quick grin. "It's a Tuesday after all. Why tempt Fate?" However, before Kol could respond to that wonderful insight, David interjected to inform them that whatever it was that Nik was cooking needed more salt. Further inquiry led to the discovery that this was soup - a fact passed along with the most disappointed of gazes as Klaus informed his brother that David was clearly a heathen of the worst sort. He dipped another spoon into the soup as he spoke, passing it to Kol, the vampire humming as he sent Klaus a pitying look.

"I'm going to have to agree with David on this one, Nik…," he said, trying and failing to hide his mirth as Klaus loudly expressed his displeasure with the both of them, turning to attend to another dish and pointedly _not_ adding any salt to the soup.

While Kol had to stifle a laugh at his brother's pettiness, however, David had already moved on, turning to the vampire with outstretched arms, making the universal indicator of children everywhere that he wished to be picked up. "I'm pretty sure you're too old for this," Kol informed him, moving closer regardless of the fact.

"But I'm sick," came the somewhat pathetic response. It was further accompanied by an equally pathetic cough and overly innocent eyes. The vampire snorted, rolling his own eyes and picked him up anyway, David curling happily into his side and resting his head on Kol's shoulder, the effect not unlike a koala. "I like Uncle Nik," he whispered. "He makes good soup, even though it doesn't have enough salt." If the man in question overheard, he did a decent job of pretending he hadn't, something Kol was grateful for even as he ruffled the kid's hair and agreed quietly. With that, the kitchen fell into companionable silence, broken only by the clutter that followed moving pans and pastry tins and, eventually, David's snores when the boy fell asleep on Kol's shoulder.

Somewhere in between putting David to bed and helping with dinner, the two of them found time to talk and Kol is hit with the realisation that this large and rather unnecessary spread before them was the result of unvented stress. And he smirks as something occurs to him. "You know," he began slowly, "as a wise man once told me, you should really learn to ask for help."

He was still laughing when Klaus threw a stick of butter at him.

* * *

 **Quick note, Klaus was making potato and leek soup, roast chicken, quiche and open faced salmon sandwiches. It is 1 am and I am _wanting this_. Also, is there anything better than Kol realising Klaus stress cooks? I think not! **

**My notes for this did actually include Kol giving some advice for the situation with Hope but when it came to, I just wasn't certain how to fit it into the scene without bogging it down. Suffice it to say, he did give advice and he was rather insistent on the fact that it would probably help settle the kid if she knew her parents were together again.**


End file.
